Nuclear Energy: Is it Worth the Risks to the Environment?

The on-going nuclear crisis at Fukashima nuclear plant in Japan has raised concerns about nuclear energy, yet again. Humans have a consumption problem and have become a parasitic species. We are greedy to the point of risking the death of countless people, and even more injuries, just for cheap power, so that we can continue our life of unchecked desire. And, yet, we take a risk with nuclear energy on something we still don't fully understand or know how to contain upon meltdown because we don't want to have to live a life with less luxury and greed. Well, I don't like saying this, but this is what happens when we gamble with Mother Nature.

The time is now to commit, as a world, to putting the nuclear genie, back into the bottle, as much as possible. We owe it not just to our children, and their children, but the billions of innocent sentient beings, who are living within their means, in balance and harmony with nature's limits and abilities. We must learn the lessons of interdependence, because if we human's mess up and ruin Earth, making it uninhabitable, then we have the karmic weight of the death of all those beings to bear into the next life. I know that I don't want that on my conscience, so let's work together to make this world a little safer and peaceful.

And, yet, if we totally ban nuclear energy then we're even more reliant upon dirty coal and oil. It's a difficult spot to be in as a modern civilization. One alternative that some say is the best alternative is thorium energy. Here is the cheat sheet on Thorium, which is a radioactive element but much safer, less radioactive and cleaner than the old nuclear sources, Uranium and Plutonium:

After it has been used as fuel for power plants, the element leaves behind minuscule amounts of waste. And that waste needs to be stored for only a few hundred years, not a few hundred thousand like other nuclear byproducts. Because it’s so plentiful in nature, it’s virtually inexhaustible. It’s also one of only a few substances that acts as a thermal breeder, in theory creating enough new fuel as it breaks down to sustain a high-temperature chain reaction indefinitely. And it would be virtually impossible for the byproducts of a thorium reactor to be used by terrorists or anyone else to make nuclear weapons. Named for the Norse god of thunder, thorium is a lustrous silvery-white metal. It’s only slightly radioactive; you could carry a lump of it in your pocket without harm.

~The Green Man has Spoken~

The Great Barrier Reef Crashed into by Oil Tanker.

A salvage team could take weeks to remove a grounded coal-carrying ship from Australia's Great Barrier Reef, where it is leaking oil in a pristine marine environment, a state leader said on Monday. The Chinese Shen Neng 1 ran aground late Saturday on Douglas Shoals, a favorite pristine haunt for recreational fishing east of the Great Keppel Island tourist resort. The shoals — off the coast of Queensland state in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park — are in a protected part of the reef where shipping is restricted by environmental law.

Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world's largest coral reef, which is off northeast Australia and listed as a World Heritage site for its environmental value. "One of the most worrying aspects is that the ship is still moving on the reef to the action of the seas, which is doing further damage" to the coral and hull, the government agency's general manager Patrick Quirk said.

The Green Man: This is why I am so opposed to offshore drilling along the pristine, tropical, marine life refuges off Florida. Our marine system is already under serious attack from rising global temperatures, which are bleaching coral networks that harbor some of the world's most diverse eco-systems. As well as from over-fishing but this recent destruction of the Great Barrier Reef is a real blow as it is the world's largest, and can be seen from outer space. The ship was carrying tons of coal as well, which is leeching into the water. Experts fear further break-up could release larger amounts of that coal into the water around the reef.

They can talk about clean-up all they want but the oil spill by the Exxon-Valdez up in Alaska is still affecting the eco-system negatively. Until the world finally breaks its addiction to oil we'll continue seeing these terrible accidents. The Chinese haven't had the best track record on the environment and while the U.S. has pollution issues too, the Chinese seem to literally have NO standards when it comes to protecting nature. They say that they'll be fined $1 million for this accident but that can't make up for the long-term destruction that this spill has caused for this pristine eco-system. I'm tired of seeing our Earth raped, our oceans treated as toilets and our air polluted with toxins while at the same time to warn people about the dangerous of inhaling cigarette smoke!!

~The Green Man has Spoken~