8 March, 2006

ELEANOR Scott, Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands, has urged government ministers to heed calls from experts and the public to ditch nuclear and press on with developing renewable energy technologies.

On top of a public opinion poll published this week which showed the majority of Scots rejecting nuclear power, key government experts have issued their long-awaited advice to government - also rejecting new nuclear power.

The Sustainable Development Commission has said that new nuclear power stations are not needed in order to tackle climate change, and that any perceived benefits are far outweighed by serious disadvantages.

Dr Scott says the report should help further expose 'myths and misinformation' promoted in an intense lobbying and public relations exercise by the nuclear industry.

Greens want a mature debate about Scotland's future energy needs, and are disappointed that pro-nuclear campaigners refuse to engage in mature debate with anyone who disagrees with them.

Greens oppose nuclear power on the grounds of cost, waste, safety, risk, the loss of potential resources for renewables and energy efficiency measures, the failure to properly tackle climate change, proliferation of nuclear material and the creation of terrorist targets.

Dr Scott said: "Nuclear waste is an unsolved problem that will be with us for many years to come. I have visited Dounreay and have been extremely impressed with the decommissioning of the site. The skills developed there will be needed for many years to come.

"However the fact remains that the long term storage of low level waste at Dounreay is splitting the local community and as yet no decision has been taken on how to dispose of the medium level waste. The earliest date for the completion of decommissioning is 2036.

"The nuclear waste we already have will be a problem for generations to come - it is nonsensical to consider creating more when we do not know how to deal with it safely.

"Nuclear power is the wrong answer to the question of a sustainable energy future and is a distraction from the real issues. We have renewable energy resources to power the whole of Scotland many times over. What is really needed is political will, and that is why we have set the challenge to all the other parties in the parliament to back our proposed bills on energy efficiency, microrenewable power and targets for reducing climate change pollution and traffic levels.

"There are huge opportunities for renewable power in Scotland, and thousands of jobs into the bargain using existing technology. There are massive employment and economic opportunities in the micro-renewable industry, in energy efficiency measures and a host of other areas. And we're simply not doing enough.”