The release of a government report on the future of nuclear energy in Australia has inaugurated a new silly season in public political discourse. In the wake of the report, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said he feared that the construction of new nuclear power plants might harm Australia's tourism industry.
I think this response struck the correct tone:
But federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey has urged Australians to consider nuclear power, and says it will help deal with climate change.UPDATE: More, in a similar vein, from Rod Adams.
Ms Bailey says France has combined a nuclear power industry with a successful tourism sector.
She says it is possible to go nuclear and protect Australia's clean green image.
"France is a country that's 14 times smaller than Australia, it has 59 nuclear generators and yet ... it's the most visited country in the world, attracting more than 76 million tourists a year," she said.
"It's able to do this, of course, with nuclear energy."
Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, Australia
2 comments:
They're just not using their imaginations. Perhaps "two-headed mutant kangaroos" (which every anti-nuclear activist knows is the only logical outcome of the construction of nuclear plants in Australia) might actually help the tourism industry. I know I'd be willing to fly to Australia to see one.
Looking at the stuffed two-headed calf at the University of California at Davis back in 1962-1965 was one of the big attractions when I used to go there for Field Day with my high school classmates. It remained a big attraction every year despite having seen it in previous years.
Also the Sioux on the Prairie Island Reservation were concerned that tourists would be dissuaded from visiting their proposed casino by the proximity of the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant and its ISFSI (about 2 miles). However the impressive growth of the Treasure Island Casino indicates that that is not a factor in tourist decisions. The rapid growth of the areas near Davis-Besse (Port Clinton and Catawba Island) is another indication.
Post a Comment