(The australian, Sep 12, 2006)¡ª FORMER US vice-president Al Gore has no problems with China adopting nuclear energy - he is more concerned the Asian superpower is not moving fast enough.
"Their latest five-year plan has a projection of some 55 new coal-fired plants per year and only three or four nuclear plants per year," Mr Gore said. "They will build new nuclear plants but it is interesting they have carved out a relatively limited role for nuclear power."

Mr Gore, in Sydney yesterday to promote his global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth, said he expected nuclear power to remain a limited alternative to fossil fuel given the cost involved and relatively long time needed to build nuclear plants.

"And if we promote it for the world as a whole, the idea that nuclear is the idea to back out coal, we'd have tens of thousands of these reactors in countries that we really don't want to see develop nuclear weapons and that's not a trivial issue," he said, adding that Iran and North Korea had "used their reactor programs to start weapons programs".

Mr Gore reiterated the leadership role Australia could take on global warming issues within the region.

"Even though Australia is so much smaller than China in terms of its economic size, it can have an enormous impact on whether or not China does do the right thing and join in reducing CO2," he said.

"In fact, Australia's ability to have an influence is heightened by the fact that it's twinned with the US as the only holdouts (to the Kyoto agreement). The two of us are the Bonnie and Clyde of the climate debate and if Bonnie gets religion and reforms, then Clyde is going to be really isolated and under a lot of pressure to join civilisation."

Mr Gore, who left Australia last night, preferred to keep private his "very pleasant" phone conversation about his film and conservation concerns with John Howard.

"It's no secret that the Prime Minister and I disagree on the issue but I think he's a smart man with a generally open mind when new evidence is available," he said.

"I hope in fact he will see the movie, keep an open mind and change his view. I think that it's entirely possible that he will."

Research to be released today reveals he may be preaching to the converted, with most Australians considering climate change important but admitting they do not know as much about it as they should.
Source:The australian
tag:China energy coal