The legacy of doing it wrong

Just when you think it's safe to go into the garden, it snows the night before and puts an end to any plans you may have had to do some gardening. I guess that's life for you... Anyway, the cold spell has meant that our dear friend, Froggy, has yet to come out of hibernation. So once again, you're going to have to put up with my ranting and raving for at least another week or so.

This week, I feel somewhat obliged to speak about Froggy's pet subject : Global Warming.
As everyone knows, this fair country of ours is one of the wealthiest within the western world, and yet our government, in its wisdom, continues to act with total ignorance when it's confronted by matters of extreme importance.

Recently, I learned that Portugal is investing billions on renewable energy, and rightly so. So why is it then, that Britain is so full of laggards? As Froggy would say, the human race is on the very brink of extinction brought about by its own hand, and yet our government refuses to take this threat seriously, why? Can it be that just as with the USA's president Bush, who until quite recently, simply refused to believe that Global Warming was a reality, we find that our government also thinks this way? Is this just another excuse for them not to spend our taxes in a manner that would benefit us all for generations to come?

We cannot continue to live in this manner, because the reality that faces each and every one of us, is going to be much more terrifying than you can possibly imagine. Just to prove a point, and this point being that our government doesn't care about the future, lies in its belief that nuclear power is cheap and safe. Utter rubbish!! Firstly, their idea of making radioactive waste safe, is to bury it deep under ground and then forget about it. More rubbish!!

The life of radioactive waste extends beyond a thousand years. Now, I want you to correct me if I'm wrong here. There is not a single person living today, who is going to be here in a thousand years. If you consider that the occurrence of earthquakes along with the high pressures that exist deep under the earth's surface, is a safe place to bury this lethal toxic waste, then you must work for the government. I very much doubt that these containers, no matter how well they are made, will be able to withstand such extreme punishment without suffering the slightest leakage, or total breach occurring during the thousand years they will be buried in the ground. The general attitude seems to be, that since we won't be around to clean up the mess, then why should we care?

Not only should we care, but we should also do something we can be proud of. Our government should not only be considering the following, but it should act without further delay, by providing us with the following energy resources that are a whole lot safer, not only for today, but for the future as well. Start investment now by building lots more wind turbines, and let's have increased use of wave power at sea. Stop thinking about it, and start building estuary tidal barrages to drive turbines, such as the one proposed for the river Severn.
Contrary to general belief, photoelectric cells do not rely upon continual sunshine, but they are a valuable addition to our energy needs. All of these can provide a much safer alternative to nuclear power, something that is even more dangerous in our security conscious environment today. Nobody in a thousand years is going to look back at us in the twenty-first century and say that we polluted the country with our alternative energy resources. But, they will curse us for eternity, if we leave them the deadly legacy of nuclear power.

Remember: What Portugal can do, we can do a whole lot better........

Well, that's it for now. I hope you'll all drop by for a chat again next week. In the meantime, take care of yourselves,

Bob (Writing on behalf of Froggy.)