Date: Thursday 4th February

Time: 7pm

Location: Kirwan Theatre, Concourse

Motion: “This House Believes Ireland is Ready for Nuclear Power”

Nuclear power has always been a divisive issue.  Peak oil has passed, and concern is growing over the impact of climate change. When all the wells run dry of oil and we have burned all the coal and turf, what then? The debate over nuclear power is reopening, in spite of people’s concerns and the risks associated.

Renewable energies alone are not enough to sustain even our current requirements, but nuclear power could be the answer. While there have been horrific accidents in the past, technology has developed in leaps in bounds since the tragedies of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. Nowadays, Nuclear power is used widely and safely in many countries such as France and the USA and could be the answer to our current energy needs. We have to ask the question - are the benefits worth the potential risks?

However, those risks cannot be ignored. There is huge confusion about the facts of nuclear technology and a lot of people harbour reservations, born in part from the fear of weapons that could destroy civilisation at just a touch of that a big red button. When the materials and processes that created the atomic bomb are so similar to those used in power plants, it is difficult to assure people that a simple, disastrous error cannot occur. Also worrying are the lack of any safe means to treat and dispose of radioactive waste, and the fact that we have no idea what long-term exposure to radiation has on the human body.

As part of Green Week, Lit & Deb brings you a debate on what could be the future of our country.