Leading figures from the energy and environmental sectors will join a cross-party group of MPs in Westminster next week for a debate on the future of the UK's nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster (1).
Caroline Lucas' MP for Brighton Pavilion and leader of the Green Party of England and Wales' will host the session - arranged by Dr Paul Dorfman for the Nuclear Consulting Group (2) on Tuesday (14 June). Environmentalist Jonathon Porritt will chair.
Commenting ahead of the Keynote Westminster Seminar entitled' "Fukushima: Lessons Learned"' Caroline Lucas MP said:
"The Coalition's energy strategy relies heavily on building new nuclear' and it has been at pains to give assurances that nothing like the Fukushima disaster could ever happen in the UK.
"But the crisis at Fukushima has acted as a terrible reminder of the potentially catastrophic consequences of a nuclear incident' and the UK must take seriously the inherent risks - not to mention the huge costs - involved in developing ever more nuclear power.
"That both the German and Swiss governments have now chosen to phase out nuclear altogether sends a strong message to politicians around the world that a low carbon future without nuclear is politically possible.
"Debates like the one taking place at Westminster next week are essential to make sure that the real risks and costs of nuclear are understood' and to investigate the ways in which nuclear can distract from the real solutions we need for a low carbon economy - renewable energies' demand reduction and a mass scale energy efficiency programme."
As well as focusing on the safety implications of the Fukushima disaster' the seminar will cover energy policy and how the structure of electricity markets affects the viability of different generating technologies.
Notes
1) Keynote Westminster Seminar' Fukushima: Lessons Learned' 2-3.30pm' Tuesday 14 June 2011 Speakers will include: Dr Paul Dorfman' Senior Researcher at the University of Warwick and Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust Nuclear Policy Research Fellow; Prof. Tom Burke' Founding Director of sustainable development NGO E3G and Visiting Professor at Imperial and University Colleges; and John Large' of international nuclear engineering consultancy Large & Associates' plus others.
2) The Nuclear Consulting Group (NCG) is an influential forum of academics and experts in a variety of fields relating to environmental and energy policy. http://www.nuclearconsult.com/index.php
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