Ethics poll: nuclear power

The problem is not nuclear power; all power generators cause pollution and kill us in various ways. There is not yet any so called "clean" power that is financially attractive enough to provide base load power.

Nuclear power is good in many cases, the sun is a nuclear reactor - admittedly a very long way away but remember the sun's radiation causes cancer too, as well as being the source of all life on earth.

The real problem is our energy consumption, increasing energy consumption. Until we can learn to consume less energy, then more power generation plants are required and we pay a price in terms of pollution for these plants.

When the usually hidden price in human life becomes more visible, such as the recent events in Japan or Chinese coal disasters (now forgotten and aside) we seek a quick feel good fix and point our finger at the Government or some authority or other. But we are unwilling to act ourselves by reducing our own energy consumption. Blaming others is so much easier.

We are all to blame for buying, using and demanding this energy, more every day. We have a solution at our finger tips but are too lazy and too self-engrossed to act.

One thing we do respond to is cost. The almighty dollar. So a logical solution is to substantially increase the cost of energy to consumers. This is happening now as the generating costs increase. Instead of trying to minimise it, the energy costs should be doubled or trebled and the increased revenue invested in a new energy policy, a policy which seeks to minimise our usage and supplement our energy generation with the best possible technology. But the focus and real goal should be on the immediate and long term reduction of energy consumption.

Any such costs now would be recouped many fold by our children and their children. It is their futures we are messing around with. They are the important ones, not us.