Nuclear power's achilles heel

Well, here's an argument that to me at least is relatively new in the nuclear power debate. Basically, in the last two years we have seen in France nukes being taken off-grid because drought means there isn't enough water to cool them. Of course, the climate change predictions are that European summers are likely to be hotter and drier. Which does seem to be a damper on the pro-nuke claim for being more reliable and less prone to intermittancy.

As for nuclear in particular, the water issue needs to float to the top of concerns addressed by both advocates and opponents when make their respective cases. For now, the burden of proof seems to be on the nuclear industry. As Stephane Lhomme, a spokesman for a French group Sortir du Nucleaire (Abandon Nuclear), told the Christian Science Monitor: "Global warming undermines the arguments we've always heard about nuclear power, that it doesn't damage the environment. Nuclear is not saving us from climate change. It's in trouble because of climate change."

WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future: Our Nuclear Summer:
Filed in: energy, power, nuclear, water, climate_change