Out with the nuclear, in with the solar

With nuclear power industry stocks falling across the world yesterday in the wake of the unfolding Japanese catastrophe, it was time for Australia's prime nuclear industry advocate, Dr Ziggy Switkowski, to sound the conch shell to his fellow advocates to rise and spruke the benefits of a nuclear future for Australia and the world.

And yesterday on Newcastle's 1233 we heard the arguments coming through that there is nothing to fear, we live in a sea of radioactivity, its a natural part of the world, that the Japanese reactors had stood up to the catastrophe really well, that people would soon stop being 'emotional' and come to a more reasoned conclusion that nuclear energy is good. When asked about the bogey of 'Chernobyl', oh, Chernoby shouldn't have been built, they say, trying to dismiss the elephant in the room as a collective delusion.

While we respect their right to free speech, I do not respect their right to advocate for an industry that creates a waste that is toxic to life, and an industry that has no plan for the catastrophic consequences when things go belly up.

We are fortunate enough to live on the only liveable planet in our solar system. We should be fed up with people who advocate the destruction of this planet for profit at all costs, while they continue to foul up the water, land and sky with their dirty industries.

Clean up your act. There are wonderful opportunities that we should be investing in. One such opportunity is University of Newcastle's Professor Paul Dastoor's solar paint technology.

This is the real future of Australia, this invention is the basis of the new industry. Imagine, every single surface a generator of solar energy? Clean green and very exciting.