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NuclearEnergyCausesGlobalWarming|GlobalResearch

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NuclearEnergyCausesGlobalWarming
ByDr.MortonS.Skorodin
GlobalResearch,July23,2010
TheOklahomaObserver21July2010
Urlofthisarticle:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/nuclearenergycausesglobalwarming/20231

Weneedenergytoheatourhomesandprovideelectricityforourappliances.
Mostcommonlyinourworld,coal,oil,naturalgas,andradioactive[nuclear]materials,especially
theheavymetal,Uranium,supplyourenergy.
Radioactiveelementsthatproducenuclearenergydoitacertainwayandthesamewayeach
time.Thebasicsareeasytounderstand:
These materials, such as Uranium, change into other materials during which a huge amount of
energy is released. Remember Albert Einsteins famous equation, e=mc2. Well, it is kind of like
magic that c2 is a very large number e is the energy you get at the end m is the very tiny
amountofmassorstuffthatchangesfromstuffyoucanseeintounseenbutpowerfulenergy.
Butbeforewegoonweneedtomakesureweknowwhatwearetalkingabout.Whatisenergy?Severalkindscometomind.We
havementionedthreealready:nuclear,electricityandheat.Thereisalsomechanicalmotionthinkaboutworkingoutatthegym.
Noticeanotherthingatthegymonesmusclesgetwarmsoheatisproducedaswellasmechanicalmotion.
Another thing about energy: once it is released, it never goes away. It can never be destroyed. This is a perfect rule with which
everyoneagrees.Itisactuallycalledalawthefirstlawofthermodynamics.
Whathappenstotheenergy,afterweuseit,suchaswhenIhavefinishedmovingmyfingerstypingthissentence?
Itislostaswasteheatouttheresomewhere.Itisdispersedandspreadsoutinalldirectionsandcannotbereused.Thisiscalled
entropyandisthesecondlawofthermodynamics.
Nowwhatdoesthathavetodowithnuclearpowerandglobalwarming?
OnceyoureleaseallthatenergyfromUranium,asinanuclearreactor,itishereforever,exceptforsomefractionthatradiatesout
intoouterspaceaslongwaveradiation.Therestgoesintotheair,waterways,glaciers,dirtandrocksaswasteheat,alsocalled
thermal[heat]pollution,increasingthetemperature,therebybringingaboutglobalwarming.
Isnucleartheonlytheonlysourceofenergythatreleaseswasteheat?
No.Coal,oilandnaturalgas[hydrocarbons,socalledfossilfuels]alsoreleasewasteheatwhenburned.
Whyisthisfactnotincludedinthetitleofthisarticle?
Becausemanypeoplealreadyknowthatuseofhydrocarbonscausesglobalwarming.Also,manybelievethatnuclearpowerdoes
not cause global warming and that it may actually solve the global warming problem. Nothing could be further from the truth,
becauseitproducesheatand,therefore,thermalpollution.
WhataboutgreenhousegasesthatarediscussedonTVandtheinternet,suchascarbondioxide?Whataboutothergreenhouse
gasessuchaswatervaporandmethane?
This is best approached by admitting that this is an area of great conflict. Wellconnected scientists almost universally claim that
globalwarmingisoccurring,thatitisfromhumanactivity,thatactivitythatcausestheemissionofgreenhousegases[especially
carbondioxideorCO2].Thesearegasesthatmakeupasmallpartoftheairwebreathe,buttheyareabletoholdinheat.
Millionsofpeopleagreewiththis.Othermillionsdisagree.Leaders[ormisleaders]ofbothfactionspresentplausibleevidenceof
wrongdoingbyandconflictofinterestontheotherside.Botharecorrectaboutthisandweshouldnotbesurprisedthatthisisthe
case. Though startling claims are made about the need to save the planet, it is really about money and power, meaning here a
different kind of power, that of authority and control. Imagine the wealth and personal power to be derived from selling and
controllingtheflowofenergytobillionsofpeople.
Hydrocarbons produce CO2. Businessmen and their agents who back hydrocarbons stand to lose a great deal of money and
powerifCO2eliminationismadeatoppriority.Theothersidehasitsowninvestorswhostandtoprofitbypromotingnuclearpower
in competition with coal, oil, and natural gas energy sources, and also by selling CO2 reduction technologies. There are also
military and political reasons for nuclear promotion. [Incidentally, this side also erroneously claims that nuclear power does not
resultinCO2pollution.]
Infact,itappearsthatgreenhousegaseshaveasmallbutdefiniteeffectandworktogetherwiththedirectheatpollutiondiscussed
heretomaketheproblemofglobalwarmingworse.
Neither side is interested in promoting the facts as presented in this report, because they both stand to lose. They both cause
thermalpollution[globalwarming].
FortunatelysolarandwindpowerdonotcausethermalpollutionbecausetheyusetheSunsheat,whichwewillgetwhetherwe
useitforourenergyneedsornot.Thesetechnologieshavematuredandtheircostshavecomecrashingdownandwillcontinueto
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NuclearEnergyCausesGlobalWarming|GlobalResearch

doso.Thebestsolutionforthelongtermsupplyofelectricalenergyistoinstitutetheserenewablesourcesatthemunicipallevel
andasacooperativeeffort.Thisgiveseveryoneenergyindependence.
Of course, municipally owned, cooperatively run energy sources will be vigorously opposed by hydrocarbon and nuclear barons
andthosewhowillwanttoprivatize,fortheirownprofit,renewableenergysources.Theywillwanttocentralizerenewableenergy,
anddoleitouttolargeareasthroughgridsundercentralizedcontrol.
We,thepublic,mustassertandstruggleforwhatisbestforusandourPlanet.Ifwedonotswitchtononheataddingsolarand
solarderivedenergysources,wewillburntoacrisp.
MortonS.Skorodin,MD,livesinStillwater,OKandisanoccasionalcontributortoTheOklahomaObserver

Disclaimer:Thecontentsofthisarticleareofsoleresponsibilityoftheauthor(s).TheCentreforResearchonGlobalizationwillnotberesponsiblefor
anyinaccurateorincorrectstatementinthisarticle.

CopyrightDr.MortonS.Skorodin,GlobalResearch,2010

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