“This House Believes Ireland is Ready for Nuclear Power”

The NUI Galway Literary & Debating Society will be hosting a debate on the subject of nuclear power and the environment at 7pm on Thursday February 4th in the Kirwan Lecture Theatre on the main Arts Concourse of NUI Galway.

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. Are the benefits worth the potential risks?

However, those risks cannot be ignored. A lot of people have concerns about nuclear technology, 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. All are welcome to attend and to give their own opinion on the environment and new energy sources and then vote on the motion: “This House Believes Ireland is Ready for Nuclear Power”.