Short summary of this newsletter :

- CONSCIOUS CHOICE leading magazine in the area of ecology and natural living highlights the ecological advantages of clean nuclear energy (in its February 2005 cover story)

- KYOTO DAY on wednesday February 16^th, 2005

- A document about uranium resources

- A statement about tsunamis, Gaïa and ecology

- An article published in Canada

Ecological advantages of clean nuclear energy : the cover story of CONSCIOUS CHOICE, leading magazine in the area of ecology and natural living

Dear friends of clean nuclear energy,

The Journal of Ecology and Natural Living, CONSCIOUS CHOICE, based in Chicago, an important monthly magazine in the environmental community, presents EFN and our views to the environmental community in its February 2005 issue.

In fact, the editor of CONSCIOUS CHOICE, Marla DONATO, after a few exchanges by phone and e-mail with us a few months ago, decided to run this as a cover story and to "break the taboo" about the environmental benefits of nuclear energy.

The cover of the February 2005 issue of CONSCIOUS CHOICE can be seen at : http://www.consciouschoice.com/2005/cc1802/img/cover1802.jpg

This story has recently been published and is now presented on the home page of CONSCIOUS CHOICE at : http://www.consciouschoice.com/ (only until the end of February 2005)

Several of the photos shown in the article are reproduced from EFN's web site (with authorization).

The same magazine also publishes in this issue, among other articles dealing with subjects such as organic agriculture, animal's rights, vegan eating, healthy living and spiritual mind opening, a reprint of the full version of James Lovelock's preface to my book "Environmentalists For Nuclear Energy".

See the reprint of the introduction of EFN's book at : http://www.consciouschoice.com/2005/cc1802/nuclearlovelock1802.html

What's interesting is that what used to be a "taboo" in a large portion of the environmental community seems to be falling apart, and after a period of largely circulated but unfounded anti-nuclear myths (and after many years of hard work for EFN, many thanks to all our volunteers, and keep up the good job, there's still a lot to be done) minds are definitely opening nowadays to the benefits of nuclear energy. And, quite logically, a magazine with an "open mind" such as CONSCIOUS CHOICE is among those that lead the way.

Many members of the environmental community worldwide have already joined EFN since I created the organization in 1996. Among many others, Pr James Lovelock, author of the Gaia theory, joined us four years ago. Until recently, many environmental organizations still preferred the old anti-nuclear dogmas. But times are changeing and in a growing number of countries, whole branches of the environmental community now join EFN's point of view and support the environmental advantages of nuclear energy.

Read the entire article printed by CONSCIOUS CHOICE (presenting both sides of the argument) at : http://www.consciouschoice.com/2005/cc1802/nuclearsafe1802.html

KYOTO DAY on February 16^th, 2005

Today, wednesday February 16th, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol comes into force. A lot has been written about it already and about the solutions to reduce our fossile fuel consumptions. Read and circulate to your friends and colleagues EFN's position paper on KYOTO DAY (WORD format).

The solutions usually proposed in order to burn less carbon fuels (oil, gas and coal) are energy conservation and renewable energy. But they don't solve the problem. In the first case (energy conservation), however useful as it may be to make a better use of energy (and EFN does support energy conservation) it can be observed that although energy conservation can contribute partly and therefore should be encouraged, the world's energy consumption is nevertheless continuing to rise constantly year after year, and the development of China, India, Brazil and other developing countries leave little hope to see a global decline in energy consumption in the coming years. As for the second solution usually proposed (renewable energies), unfortunately, it just doesn't fit the need and isn't capable of supplying more than a few percent of the global demand, even when it is heavily subsidized as windmills in Germany or Denmark, and apart from hydraulic energy, if they aren't subsidized, other renewable energies produce almost nothing.

Therefore another source of energy that is at the same time clean, affordable (competitive), and massively available to replace a significant portion of today's fossile fuel consumption is strongly needed. That may sound like a dream, but in fact this energy source is real and it has a name : it's called nuclear energy.

We're very lucky in fact that the solution does exist, because very difficult times lay ahead if no solution is implemented in due time, and our whole society is in danger of collapsing when cheap oil will be part of the past and/or the climate change a reality (whichever of the two may come first).

While alternative solutions that can't solve the problem are widely appraised, and highly subsidized, it is interesting however to observe to what great extent nuclear energy has been vilified and criticized simultaneously since several decades. Anti-nuclear campaigns have (or almost have) halted nuclear programs in many countries, since several decades : in Italy, in Germany, in Sweden, in Belgium, nuclear phase-outs have been voted. In Switzerland, in the US and in a number of other countries, there has been in practise a ban on the construction of new nuclear reactors, even where the previously constructed ones have continued to operate.

But what if nuclear energy had not been banned by vocal groups, and had continued to expand at a speed of 8 to 10% per year, as it did in the 60's, 70's and 80's ?

On this highly symbolic KYOTO DAY, EFN proposes a position paper on this subject. This paper was prepared by the local correspondent of EFN in Denmark, with the input of several other members of EFN. It shows clearly that the hypothetical results expected, at great expense, from the Kyoto protocol, are only a fraction of what nuclear energy would have contributed, if it's development had not been slowed down by groups such as Greenpeace.

We encourage EFN's local correspondents in all countries around the world to translate this position paper in their languages (other than English) and to send it to the media each in his own country, as widely as possible. A press release is also proposed to send the paper to journalists. If you can, we therefore invite you to translate and send this paper and the press release to journalists in your country.

EFN authorizes the translation and publication of this entire document in all countries and in all languages without modifications other than minor editing. Please keep us informed at nuc-enAecolo.org (spam prevention : replace A by @ in the e-mail address) and send us a copy of the translated and published versions so that we may post them on the web site.

A document about uranium resources

The availability of uranium reserves is an important question for the future of our planet. Click here to understand more about this by reading EFN's new document titled "Uranium Resources Worldwide". This document will be listed for future reference, as other documents, in the "documents in English" section of the web site.

A document about Gaïa and Tsunamis

Many journalists and readers have contacted us since the tsunami in Asia, to ask if the Gaia theory can explain the Earth's earthquakes which recently caused the terrible tsunami in the Indian ocean. Well, there isn't any direct relationship. Read the statement titled "About Tsunamis, Gaia, and Ecology" written on this subject for a German magazine.

An article published in Canada

The Canadian newspaper TIMES and TRANSCRIPT published an EFN paper titled "Nuclear energy is greenest choice" on January 28 and 29th in two parts in it's guest columns (click on the link to read the first part).

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING CLEAN NUCLEAR ENERGY !

Yours sincerely, 

 Bruno Comby.

President of EFN
Association of Environmentalists For Nuclear Energy

http://www.ecolo.org

 

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