Nuclear Power, No Thanks!

BRITAIN





Speaker: Justin Ratcliffe
Standard: British accent
Language level: Advanced
Source: www.speakup.com.br 

Nuclear Power,

Today there is considerable concern about global warming, not to mention the world’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil. For these reasons nuclear power, which was seen as the great evil a generation ago, is being re-evaluated. In July the British government announced its intention to build more nuclear power stations. In order to get an idea of public opinion, Speak Up took to the streets of Cambridge and asked people the question: “Does Britain Need More Nuclear Power? “ The first person to speak, Andy Holcombe, is a marketing director:

Andy Holcombe

(Standard British accent):

I think that’s a difficult question to answer. I do feel frustrated that the government doesn’t pay anything like the level of investment in non-nuclear, sustainable energy sources that it does in nuclear. I’d far rather see investment in wind, tidal barrage, methane, biomass-type energy than I would in sustaining something that’s just increasing the risk. If we do have to invest in nuclear, then I’d like to see more investment in things lie fusion, which is an inherently safe form of nuclear energy.

Stephen Murphy is a musician:

(Standard Northern Irish accent):

No, because it’s dirty and it’s dangerous. It’s difficult to dispose of the waste. And it involves no investment in other renewable energy sources like wind and it doesn’t encourage people to look after their own energy requirements and get insulation and things like in their houses.

Nicola Buckley is a festival organizer. She is a supporter of renewable technology. So what are her misgivings about nuclear power?

Nicola Buckley

(Standard British accent)

Maybe a threat from terrorism, attacks on nuclear power stations. And just the long time for the waste to, you know…it’s still dangerous and has to be disposed of.

Last but not least, Carol Roberts is a reception manager:

Carol Roberts

(Standard British accent):

No, I’m sure there must be some other way of…helping us to get more power than nuclear. I don’t agree with nuclear power. We’ve got a sea out there. We’ve got the windmills. America’s doing, what is it, in the desert? We must…I mean, all the sunshine we’re getting now. There must be another way that nuclear power. Look at…Chernobyl: you don’t know if that can happen. It’s like one of those things, it’s something waiting to happen. And I’d rather not go down that road, I’d rather go, you know, more natural. With all the technology we’ve got, surely we can do better than nuclear.

The Shape of Things to Come? (No audio)

The tiny village of Dunwich lies on the exposed east coast of England. From the cliff to p here you see all of nature’s natural power before you: the restless ocean, waves, tide and wind. Five miles (8km) to the south, rising large as a full moon over tranquil Minsmere Bird Reserve, is the white dome of Sizewell B nuclear power station. Sizewell B was completed in 1995 and it now produce three per cent of Britain’s total electricity needs; enough to supply 1.5 million households.

Good or Bad?

Nuclear has been making headlines ever since the first headlines ever since the first power stations opened in the 1950s. It has been celebrated as the solution to the world’s energy needs, condemned as a health risk labeled a “toxic time bomb.” Last year, for example, marked the twentieth anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. 

No time to Lose

In Britain, as elsewhere, alternatives to fossil fuels are badly needed. By 2016, a quarter of Britain’s electricity generating capacity will need to be replaced. Tony Blair is an enthusiastic supporter of nuclear power, but its attractiveness as an alternative source of energy is undermined by the huge coast of building, supplying and maintaining nuclear power stations, not to mention extracting rare uranium and disposing of toxic waste.