The Institute for Energy Research made a surprising find that deals a blow to the green energy movement and runs against common logic, especially after the catastrophic oil spill off the Gulf Coast.
In July, the IER found that 70 percent of Americans oppose a cap and trade system. One would think that more people would embrace cap and trade as an alternative to offshore drilling, which has proved to be hazardous to this country.
“The American people are smarter than the political class in Washington think — they see this tragic accident playing out in the Gulf, and are overwhelmingly opposed to the Obama administration’s plan to capitalize on it politically by pushing a national energy tax,” said IER Presdient Jim Clarkson in a statement.
The British Petroleum catastrophe showcased the need for a safer road to energy independence. There is a source of power that deserves closer examination, and it is the element of thorium.
Although radioactive, thorium has several properties that make its use as a renewable fuel enticing. Its abundant nature is particularly important.
According to the World Nuclear Association’s website, thorium is more abundant in the Earth’s crust than uranium, which is used commonly in nuclear reactors today.
Mined thorium is more usable than mined uranium. The World Nuclear Association said this yields 40 times the amount of energy per unit of theoretically available mass.
Thorium also eats its own hazardous waste. This rids nuclear power of one of its greatest, hazardous setbacks — the disposal of nuclear waste.
Perhaps the most important idea is that this route to energy independence could win support from both parties. Republicans have historically championed nuclear power, while Democrats want to avoid its environmental hazards.
Because a safer form of nuclear power has arisen, Democrats must embrace it. Thorium can rid uranium reactors of other radioactive elements, such as plutonium. The environmental hazards are significantly less, so the political hazards of environmental activists’ backlash would also be less.
In 2009, the International Energy Agency recommended the world would need to spend $26 trillion over the course of the next two decades if we wish to avert an energy crisis.
This recommendation also includes a timeline from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It warns that greenhouse gas emissions must peak no later than 2030 and begin to decline and stabilize greenhouse gas levels. If this timeline does not produce enough urgency, think of what investment in this field can do for our fragile economy.
Any substantial legislation that makes investments in thorium research and development can easily be touted as a jobs bill. Development in this field requires scientists to study this element, workers to convert older nuclear reactors to thorium reactors and more miners to mine thorium.
Investing in the green energy business is one of the best ways to stimulate the economy because it is a growing sector, especially with the aid from 2009’s American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
Investing in thorium could be yet another way to put people back to work, rather than relying on the 3 ‘R’s’: roads, runways and rails.
Andrew can be reached at andrew.hedlund@asu.edu
