Interesting approach being used in UK to influence energy policy

[kristopher]

Only about 25% of the people in the UK want more nuclear...

I've seldom been impressed with the results of boycotts, but the idea of doing it with a commodity like electricity is a bit different in that the loss of business is very visible to the corporate decision-makers.

Even without this the economic prospects for merchant nuclear in the UK are horrible. This can't help.

Boycott EDF
We are calling for a boycott of EDF Energy and all its subsidiaries. With the boycott we demand:

1. A stop of all plans for a new build of nuclear power in Britain by EDF (but we don't like nuclear power stations by RWE or E.on either)
2. A shut down of all EDF owned or controlled nuclear power stations in Britain.
3. No replacement of nuclear with coal or oil fired power stations
4. Implementation of a strategy do decarbonize EDF by 2030 (Zero Carbon EDF 2030).

If EDF agrees to these demands and shows serious signs of implementation, we will call off the boycott. For how you can boycott EDF, click here. Boycott EDF is a campaign launched by Kick Nuclear, a member of the Stop Nuclear Power Network UK.

http://boycottedf.org.uk/

[Dead_Parrot]

1. Up next in "Kris Does Math": 64=25

UK voters want more nuclear plants: poll

[kristopher]

2. ROFLMAO Typical Nuclear "environmentalist" spin...

You are lumping those who say "keep the ones we have for a while but don't build more" in with those who say "Hey, let's build nuclear plants".

Those are two DIFFERENT categories.

Overall, less than a fifth of the respondents surveyed believe that the share of nuclear energy should be increased. The largest segment of the European population (39%) would like to maintain it at the current level while an almost equal proportion (34%) want it to be reduced.

These results are based on surveys conducted in the 27 European member states by TNS Opinion and Social Network, which interviewed 26,470 European citizens face-to-face between 11 September-5 October 2009.

...The highest proportions of citizens who say that the share of nuclear energy should be increased are found in Poland (30%) and Estonia (29%)...Positive attitudes towards increasing the share of nuclear energy are also found in member states that already have functioning nuclear power plants. They include Hungary (27%), the United Kingdom (27%), Czech Republic (26%), Bulgaria (26%) and the Netherlands (26%).

Nuclear Engineering International
"A divided Europe"
23 July 2010

Other interesting results are that 65% of the French think nuclear power is risky, and only 37% see nuclear as a viable means of reducing reliance on fossil fuels. That figure is only 31% in Germany, BTW.

Oh yes, one more thing - what is the support rate for renewable energy?

ETA: One more "one more thing" - support for *more* nuclear in Germany is around 17%.

[Dead_Parrot]

3. Partly right...

Poll results http://www.today.yougov.co.uk/sites/today.yougov.co.uk/files/YG-Archives-Pol-EDF-energy-130510.pdf">here, analysis here. It's actually 52% (replace old nuclear and old coal stations with new nuclear): the 64% is for nuclear + renewables. I suspect the difference is down to the question phrasing.

Interestingly, the general feeling on nuclear is 42% favourable, 26% unfavourable, suggesting they a taking a pragmatic approach to the problem.

Absolute opposition to nuclear (build no more plants at all) has dropped from 24 to 18% over the four years the poll has been conducted.

There's no question on "renewables" in this poll, but wind is at 72% favourable (down from 76% in '07).

[joshcryer]

4. Nice.

:thumbsup:

[NNadir]

6. It seems like our math challenged pal thinks that reality is poll based. You know....

Galileo was wrong about the relative motions of the planets, because polls showed in Italy that everybody thought the earth was the center of the universe.

It doesn't matter what polls say. The future belongs to those nations that have nuclear capacity, and darkness belongs to those who refuse it.

[kristopher]

7. Actually...

Those that reject nuclear can use LEDs powered by wind, solar, biomass, wave, current, tidal, isothermic and geothermal.

That's probably a better quality of light (and life) than making everyone glow in the dark.

[NNadir]

8. Thank you for your dogma, Pope Urban VIII. By the way, Jesus hasn't returened, not that

our Popes fail to continue to promise that he will.

Recently, even the wishful thinker Socolow, Princton's "Wedges" guy gave a lecture at something called a scientific meeting, the American Chemical Society Meeting in Boston, and reported that the last best hope of humanity is nuclear energy.

In 2050, China and France's lights will still be on, but if our mystics continue to destroy things in this country, we will still be talking about how solar will save us, in dirty impoverished toxic hellholes.

[Confusious]

5. Here's what i think will happen

When it comes down to ideals and reality:

More nuclear.

2. A shut down of all EDF owned or controlled nuclear power stations in Britain.
3. No replacement of nuclear with coal or oil fired power stations

And when that happens. I will laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and laugh,

and laugh.