urg::: N-power will help climate: Campbell

[Len Kanaar - FoE Sydney]

The Australian

N-power will help climate: Campbell
Katharine Murphy
09sep05

ENVIRONMENT Minister Ian Campbell has thrown his support behind the 
use of nuclear power and a significant expansion of uranium mining as 
part of a wide-ranging strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Despite increasing opposition to nuclear power from green groups and 
unions, Senator Campbell said yesterday that he had no in-principle 
problem with Australia adopting nuclear energy "as long as it meets 
all our environmental standards".

His endorsement follows Peter Costello's backing for the nuclear 
industry while in Jakarta earlier this week.

Senator Campbell told The Australian the nation needed to stand 
"shoulder to shoulder" with the rest of the world to address the 
challenges of climate change.

"It may well be that Australia moves to nuclear energy some time over 
the next 50 years," he said. No country should rule out any 
technology that helped reduce emissions, but it would be years before 
nuclear power was economical in Australia.

Environmental and public health groups are intensifying their 
campaign against nuclear energy and uranium mining as the Government 
considers exporting uranium to China.

Former diplomat Richard Broinowski said exports of Australian 
uranium, which the Government would stipulate were for energy use, 
could result in China diverting its own uranium supplies to nuclear 
weapons.

"I hope (supporters of nuclear power) will realise that the hangman's 
argument - that if we don't sell it to China, someone else will - 
misses the point ... If China gets our uranium, they can divert their 
own stuff into weapons and use ours for power," he said.

Professor Broinowski was speaking at the launch of a report by 
Friends of the Earth, the Australian Conservation Foundation, 
Greenpeace and public health organisations that argues the nuclear 
power debate is a "front" for government plans to boost uranium 
mining.


© The Australian