David Noonan, writing for ABC Australia on March 3rd argues that nuclear power is too expensive and too dangerous for Australia, giving the United States as an example:

Nuclear energy is not only hazardous, but reliant on government subsidies to survive. Australia would spend its money more wisely on renewables. The employment benefits that flow from government investment in renewable energy are far, far greater.

Attacks on the safety of nuclear waste are all too common. Nuclear power releases dangerous amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. Nuclear reactors are vulnerable to a terrorist attack. Nuclear power results in nuclear weapons proliferation. Transporting radioactive materials exposes people to unacceptable risk. None of these myths are true and in fact, can be dispelled here.

Noonan also says that “Nuclear proponents in the US are also unwilling to pay the real costs of insurance in potential nuclear accidents - again leaving the public to foot the bill and carry the risks involved.” This is a bit off base. The Price-Anderson insurance program was put in place to ensure that the United States had a nuclear industry capable of support our national security requirements. The program has been expanded and should end; however, industry does pay for the insurance as part of the framework and it fulfills the requirements of the Price-Anderson Act with private funding. The real risk is not the potential for a nuclear accident but the risk the government proposes.

Noonan is right that the employment benefits from renewable energy are greater, but he leaves out a point worth mentioning. Proponents of renewable energy argue that since windmills and solar panels create more jobs per kilowatt hour than more traditional sources of energy, they are a good investment. But this logic should not be the measuring stick for implementing new energy sources—it proves only that clean energy sources are an inefficient use of human capital and these resources could be more beneficial in other sectors of the economy. Australia would be wise not to follow this model.