Renewable energy the only way forward
Next spring will see the 20th anniversary of the explosion of the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl.
Have people already forgotten how close that explosion came to making the continent of Europe uninhabitable? Were it not for the martyrs who literally sacrificed themselves in order to make the situation stable, we would probably not be here today.
The risks of nuclear power are just too great to bear. The economic arguments against nuclear power also make it a non-starter.
However, Ireland can still have a secure future in energy terms by investing heavily in renewable energy. Instead of debating this for the next ten years, we need to get started now. We are already lagging behind most of our European neighbours in this area.
It would probably take us 30 or 40 years to set up an energy system based entirely on renewables, and the sooner we get started, the sooner we will be able to reap the advantages that such an energy system would give us.
Every village in Ireland should have its own electricity generating system based on renewables, whether that be wind driven, fuelled by biofuels such as wood chips, or based on micro-hydro power - or for coastal areas, possibly tidal or wave-powered systems.
Such a community-owned system would generate real wealth across rural Ireland, and would do more to make our rural economies viable than a system based entirely on food production.
With oil prices rising by about 48% in the last 12 months, and with 85% of our current energy needs being met from imports, we must take dramatic steps if we are to remain economically viable.
Now is the time to get serious about renewable energy. If not, more and more people are going to try and foist nuclear power on us, and that would be too costly an option.
Cllr Dominick Donnelly
Green Party
99 Douglas Street
Cork
