AGAR: A climate solution for Canada? Go nuclear even more
Canada can be the solution to the climate crisis, but not by attacking our economy with a carbon tax and “leading by example.” China and India, as well as the United States, don’t care a whit what we do.
The solution is not to ramp up the use of renewables — unreliables — but to go nuclear even more than we are.
Right now, 96% of electricity in Ontario is produced from zero-carbon emitting sources: 60% from nuclear, 26% from hydroelectricity, 7% from wind, and 2% from solar.
Rocco Rossi, President and Chief executive officer of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, suggested that Ontario is a world leader in nuclear technology and our opportunity is to rely on it more at home and to sell the technology to other countries.
And talking to me from the big climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland Dr. Chris Keefer said: “Ontario decarbonized with nuclear energy; France, Sweden, Switzerland, we know we can do this. There is evidence. The main solutions that are talked about, wind and solar, they don’t have a good track record.
“Europe is in the middle of an extreme weather event,” Dr. Keefer continued. “There is no wind. Because they have invested so heavily in that they need back up. Gas is very expensive right now. This is an energy crisis as well as a climate crisis.”
Nuclear is a win, win, win. A win for our environment. A win for our economy. A win for our customers, which is a win for the planet.
What about spent nuclear fuel? There are already 22 spent fuel facilities in Ontario, so possibly one in your community already. Their safety record is excellent.
