Nuclear power protested from Copenhagen to Washington FACING SOUTH 11 Dec 09 The nuclear power industry’s efforts to promote new reactors as a solution to climate change is inspiring creative protests by environmentalists.
At the U.N. Climate Summit in Copenhagen yesterday, members of environmental groups that are part of the international Don’t Nuke the Climate campaign placed a radiation-protection mask on the city’s iconic Little Mermaid statue.

The protests are leading up to tomorrow’s international “Don’t Nuke the Climate!” action day, with more than 200 actions planned in a dozen countries.

Here in the United States, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) — a nuclear power watchdog group with offices in Asheville, N.C. — has several actions planned for today and tomorrow. Also involved are Public Citizen, Beyond Nuclear, Friends of the Earth and the Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition……………The protesters say that new nuclear plants do not offer a real solution to climate change because it takes about 10 years to build a single reactor — longer than we can wait to start making carbon reductions — and because those reactors are enormously expensive, sucking up investments that could be spent on more efficient technologies.

In addition, the protesters point out that nuclear power does in fact produce greenhouse gases — when reactors are constructed and in the mining, transport and reprocessing of fuel. At the same time, global warming puts nuclear plants at risk, with a growing number of reactors being shut down due to summer heat waves and droughts that impact their cooling systems.

To date, more than 850 organizations worldwide have signed a statement that says, “We do not support construction of new nuclear reactors as a means of addressing the climate crisis. Available renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are faster, cheaper, safer and cleaner strategies for reducing greenhouse emissions than nuclear power.” More than 50,000 people in 112 countries have signed a similar petition in the past two months.

ISS – Nuclear power protested from Copenhagen to Washington