Mixed motives in South Australia's nuclear waste import plan

The themes of the Ecomodernists are rather touchy feely writings about the environment, so it is no surprise that they have many very caring and sincere environmentalists in their movement. The subtle message of the Manifesto is that renewable energy is not that great, and that brave new nuclear is needed to combat climate change. A similar, but more clearly spelled out theme is the message from the Australian lobbyists.

Australia's present government is influenced by climate sceptics who dismiss the science, and also the economic concerns about climate change.

South Australia's government is influenced by a strong nuclear lobby push and the Royal Commission advocacy for solving that State's present financial problems by a futuristic nuclear waste repository bonanza scheme.

The global nuclear lobby surely does not care about whether or not the South Australian nuclear waste importing scheme is economically viable. Their fairly desperate need is to sell nuclear reactors to those countries that don't already have them. In particular, the 'small nuclear" lobby sees an urgency now, with 'big nuclear' failing, to get their industry happening.

A commitment by an Australian State to take in nuclear waste could do the trick for them - as Oscar Archer put it - by unblocking the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The NFCRC plan also promises the chance of a market in Australia for the mini nuclear reactors.