C19: Suzuki & SMRs: “I want to puke!”

“I want to puke”, said Dr. David Suzuki on September 20, while being interviewed by Ian Hanomansing, host of Cross-Country Checkup. 

Canada’s pre-eminent environmental activist, scientist – and host of The Nature of Things, was responding to Hanomansing’s question regarding the Liberal Government’s support of small modular nuclear reactors, (SMRs) as a way to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

During CBC’s The House on September 19, federal Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O'Regan said, “We have not seen a model where we can get to net-zero emissions by 2050 without nuclear… The fact of the matter is that it produces zero emissions." (bit.ly/2GMTBYp)

Suzuki countered, saying, “That kind of nuclear development is decades away from becoming anything like the possibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We've got to act now.”

$20M investment to SMRs

The Federal Government supports SMRs. On October 15, a news release announced a $20M investment in SMRs, where Oakville, Ontario’s Terrestrial Energy is the beneficiary (bit.ly/35ILOn3). “SMRs are expected to play a key role in Canada’s efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and in providing economic benefits as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

So, what are SMRs?

SMRs rescale and repurpose nuclear energy, representing “a paradigm shift for nuclear reactor technology – analogous to the shift of steam engines from mineshafts into ships and vehicles, or the movement of computers from mainframe to desktop and then to laptop.” (smrroadmap.ca)

That website explains, “SMRs are nuclear fission reactors that are being designed to be built at a smaller size but in larger numbers than most of the world’s current nuclear fleet…” They are designed to be: 

• “Small – in both power output and physical size;

• Modular – meaning they are factory constructed, portable and scalable.

• Reactors – using nuclear fission to produce energy: energy for electricity, hybrid energy systems, district heating, water desalination, and high quality steam for heavy industry applications.”

(Read Canada’s roadmap for SMRs here: bit.ly/3ebnii5)

Environmental Groups’ United Opposition

Also on October 20, via a press release, 25 Canadian environmental groups announced their opposition to SMRs and to the federal government’s declaration that nuclear is a safe, green energy. Among them are the Canadian Environmental Law Association, Friends of the Earth Canada, Sierra Club Canada Foundation -- and Pontiac’s Old Fort William Cottagers’ Association (QC).

They assert the Government is “trying to save the nuclear industry rather than saving the environment and protecting health.” Moreover, they say SMR development “is too slow [and too expensive] to address the climate crisis.”

They encourage us to read the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2020, which claims, “No SMRs have yet been built and the models being proposed will take a decade or more to develop,”.

The WNISR2020

This report analyzed the “additional challenges nuclear power is facing in the age of COVID-19,” (bit.ly/2TBONbm). Furthermore, they explain, “In 2019, for the first time in history, non-hydro renewables like solar, wind and biomass generated more electricity than nuclear power plants.”

Regarding renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, WNISR2020 notes, “New renewable resources like wind and solar power increased by 184 gigawatts last year, while nuclear power grew by only 2.4 gigawatts. As a result — for the first time in history — renewable sources (excluding hydropower) generated more power than nuclear plants in 2019.”

Jobs argument

The 25 environmental groups say renewables provide many jobs. “Renewable energy is one of the fastest-growing job sectors in North America. An American study found that solar energy leads to six times as many jobs as nuclear power for each gigawatt-hour of electricity generated.” (Read this study: bit.ly/35L6ZVt)

Is nuclear truly “clean”?

My ongoing issue is nuclear waste. Until we can be assured that nuclear waste is “clean”, how can we possibly believe nuclear technology is “clean”?

I wonder whether SMRs’ reduced size mean they’ll be transported along our highways… to the North and other regions. So, what dangers do SMRs pose to Canadians?

I endorse renewables. Can we pivot to a new, sustainable, greener future without nuclear?