France, whose electricity will be 50% nuclear soon (this year or next), has already reduced its SO
2 emissions from a peak of 1.5 million tonnes to 0.5 tonnes/year; but even more impressive are the avoided emissions shown in the figure, taken from the April 1984 British newsletter Nuclear Issues (A Power for Good, 8 Ruvigny Mansions, Embankment, Putney, London SWI5). However, whether this will have a significant effect on acid rain is known only to God and the Hon. Richard Ottinger.GRAPHIC: A07_8403.TIF
What is known with certainty is this: If acid rain is primarily due to coal-fired power plants, as the anti-industry lobby claims, then going nuclear will eliminate it in proportion; if it has other causes, as suggested on p. 2 and 3, then neither additional pollution controls nor going nuclear will eliminate it, but the difference is this:
Ottinger's method will leave you stuck not only with acid rain, but also with a polluting power source, costlier electricity and a multi-billion bill; la methode francaise will give you cheaper electricity and the environmentally most benign source of electric power.
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Vol. 11, No. 11
Newsletter: Access to Energy Newsletter Archive Volume: Issues Issue/No.: Vol. 11, No. 11 Date: November 29, 2004 12:18 PM Title: Small-time politics
Copyright © 2004 - Access to Energy Newsletter Archive
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