“Green” and Safe Nuclear Technology

This post is a major departure from my normal content. With the tragic news of the nuclear disaster in Japan however, I thought it appropriate that I bring to everyone’s attention the current travesty in nuclear power.

Did you know that we have an almost unlimited, safe and easy to access source of nuclear fuel which would eliminate the need for uranium production? This mineral is called Thorium and by switching to Thorium we can eliminate the chance of nuclear melt-down, reduce the cost of production, increase the amount of power generated and eliminate the toxic by-products of current nuclear power generation (i.e. plutonium, which is the core of nuclear weapons). Thorium occurs naturally in nature, does not require open pit or strip mining to source and is much more efficient power source than uranium. Current nuclear plants can switch to Thorium without major modification and, in fact, the idea of using Thorium for nuclear power generation has been around for over 50 years.  Why has Thorium not been used before? The fact is that Thorium cannot be weaponized, whereas current technology creates plutonium that, once further refined, is used in nuclear weapons.  (Another aside – did you know that Canada is the only country to willingly give up it’s nuclear weapons, which we did in the 1960’s).

 For more information on Thorium use please see this article.

 http://www.ensec.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=187:thorium-as-a-secure-nuclear-fuel-alternative&catid=94:0409content&Itemid=342 

 I encourage everyone to speak to their elected representatives to push for the use of Thorium in our nuclear power plants. It is easily accessible, safe and secure and would go a long way in reducing our need for oil products.