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Fossil Fuel

The energy in fossil fuels comes from the sun.  The energy stored in fossil fuels was built up over millions of years.  To replace this amount of energy by capturing it from the sun in plants and turning them into biofuels would require a huge amount of land.  We need this land to produce food.

Textiles

The production of textiles requires land, energy and water.  We need to use these resources efficiently when we design a textile product.  Some textile products can help us reduce waste and save energy. More..

Floodmaps

Most of the Welsh population live within 20 miles of the sea. Find out how sea level will change your local area. The maps have all the function of Google maps and allow you to investigate different sea level rises for different parts of the world.  More

Storms

Storms

Wales faces an increased frequency of storms as a result of climate change
The road next to Newgale beach covered by pebbles after a storm

Carbon footprint and cost for nuclear power

The carbon and financial costs for Nuclear power are something that causes disagreement amongst energy experts.  When calculating the carbon footprint for a Gas power station for example the energy used to build the turbine, operate it and take it down at the end of its working life can be calculated.  Generally different experts agree on the final figure but with nuclear there is much more variation.

The carbon foot print for a nuclear power station can appear to be very low around at about 5 g/kW, but this figure does not include decommissioning of the site or disposal of the waste.  Disposal of waste is very hard to quantify as the method has not yet been agreed in this country.  According to DEFRA only 12 % of all nuclear waste from the last 60 years has been disposed of, the rest is being stored.  The Sustainable Development Commission’s research felt a figure of 90g/kW was correct whilst some independent researchers believe the figure to be around 120g/kW.

 

Nuclear waste would not be suitable for the construction of a nuclear bomb. However it certainly could be used to create a weapon of terror.  It needs to be stored and disposed of in a secure location. 

 
Depleted uranium (DU) is a hard, heavy metal which can be used in armour for military vehicles or in ammunition.  DU weapons were used by US and British forces in the Former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq.  This left a legacy of radioactivity in these countries, and some researchers claim that this has caused illness amongst soldiers and civilians.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nuclear power is generally regarded as being close to wind power in terms of financial cost per kWh even when the cost of clearing up an accident such as Chernobyl is taken into account.  However the human cost of such an accident is unacceptable to many.  In Britain the Nuclear power industry has been significantly subsidised by the government in the past.  The government plans for new nuclear power stations do not include such a high level of subsidy.  The cost of clearing up current nuclear plants is estimated to be around £70 billion of which £4 billion has come from the industry itself.  However it is unlikely any future government would leave a clear up half done because the operator could not pay the bill.
 

Communities living close to Nuclear power stations have benefited from increased levels of employment and investment in their local infrastructure.  Nuclear power plants require skilled staff and offer good wages and security of employment, often long after the plant has ceased to produce electricity.  Opponents say that if the subsidies given to the power plant were used to stimulate the existing local economy, better results would be achieved.

 

Higher than usual levels of cancer and leukaemia are found around some nuclear power plants. Radiation is known to cause these diseases.  Britain’s first generation of Nuclear reactors primary function was to produce weapons grade plutonium as fast as possible.  Safety standards were lower than today and the work was shrouded in secrecy.  Supporters of Nuclear power say that new power stations would be much safer and less radioactive material would go into the environment.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Welsh Assembly Government Tyf Adventure 1% for the planet Menter Sir Benfro Countryside Council for Wales Centre for Alternative Technology Museum Wales

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