nuclear_energy.pdf
nuclear_energy.mp3
BBC LEARNING ENGLISH
6 Minute English
?How green is nuclear energy
Neil
Hello This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English I’m Neil
Sam
And I’m Sam
Neil
With winter here, the rising price of oil and natural gas has become a hot topic
Sam
At the same time, climate change is also reaching emergency levels, and world
leaders are looking for ways to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels Some
think the best option is renewables – types of natural energy, such as wind and
solar power, which can be replaced as quickly as they are used
Neil
Others prefer a return to nuclear energy, arguing that it’s clean, green and more
reliable that renewables But after infamous nuclear disasters like those at
Chernobyl and Fukushima, questions about its safety remain
Sam
In this programme, we’ll be finding out how green nuclear power is by asking:
when it comes to the climate, is nuclear a friend or foe?
Neil
But before that, Sam, it’s time for my quiz question Many of the nuclear power
stations built since the 1960s are reaching the end of their planned life, and not
everyone thinks they should be replaced In 2011, one country announced that it
would phase out – meaning gradually stop using - nuclear power altogether But
which country? Was it:
a) Germany?
b) India? or,
c) Brazil?
Sam
I’ll go with a) Germany
Neil
OK, Sam We’ll reveal the correct answer later in the programme
Sam
As Neil mentioned, whatever the advantages of nuclear power for the climate,
many members of the public have concerns about nuclear safety
Neil
Probably the most well-known nuclear accident happened on the 26th of April
1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine
Sam
Dutch journalist Mirjam Vossen reflects on what happened with BBC World
Service programme, The Real Story
Mirjam Vossen
The perceptions of nuclear energy of, I think, a whole generation have been
shaped by high impact events, most notably the Chernobyl disaster… including
myself I have vivid memories of how the media reported on this event and how
scary it was and how frightened everyone was of the radioactive clouds drifting
from the Ukraine towards Europe So, this is, sort of, ingrained in people’s minds,
and for many it hasn’t been … really been updated
Neil
It was a frightening time, and Mirjam says she has vivid memories – memories
that produce powerful feelings and strong, clear images in the mind
Sam
The accident in Chernobyl changed many people’s opinions of nuclear power in a
negative way, and these opinions became ingrained - strongly held and difficult
to change But Mirjam believes these ingrained public perceptions of nuclear
safety are out-of-date She argues that such accidents caused by human error
could not happen in the modern nuclear power stations used today
Neil
What’s more, nuclear creates a steady supply of power - unlike renewables,
which don’t make electricity when the wind doesn’t blow, or the Sun doesn’t
shine
Sam
So maybe nuclear power is the greenest way of generating energy without fossil
fuels
Neil
Well, not according to Energy Institute researcher Paul Dorfman Nuclear power
stations are located near seas or large lakes because they need water to cool
down Paul thinks that soon rising seas levels will mean the end of nuclear as a
realistic energy option
Sam
He thinks money invested in nuclear upgrades would be better spent making
clean renewables more reliable instead, as he explained to BBC World Service
programme, The Real Story
Paul Dorfman
I think the key takeaway is that nuclear’s low carbon electricity unique selling
point kind of sits in the context of a much larger picture that nuclear will be one
of the first and most significant casualties to ramping climate change So,
nuclear’s quite literally on the front line of climate change and not in a good way
– that’s because far from helping with our climate change problems, it’ll add to it
Neil
One advantage of nuclear power is that it produces electricity using little carbon
Paul Dorfman calls this its unique selling point
Sam
A unique selling point, which is sometimes shortened to ‘USP’, is a common way
to describe the feature of something that makes it different from and better than
its competitors
Neil
But that doesn’t change the fact that rising sea levels would make nuclear an
unrealistic, even dangerous, choice This is why he calls nuclear power a casualty
of climate change, meaning a victim, or something that suffers as a result of
something else happening
Sam
This also explains why some countries are now turning away from nuclear power
towards more renewable energy sources – countries such as… well, what was the
answer to your quiz question, Neil?
Neil
I asked Sam which country decided to gradually stop using nuclear power
Sam
I said a) Germany
Neil
Which was the correct answer! In fact, around 70% of Germany’s electricity now
comes from renewables
Sam
OK, Neil, let’s recap the rest of the vocabulary from this programme, starting
with to phase something out, meaning to gradually stop using something
Neil
Vivid memories are memories that produce powerful feelings and strong mental
images
Sam
Opinions and beliefs which are ingrained are so strongly held that they are
difficult to change
Neil
Something’s unique selling point, or USP, is the feature that makes it different
from and better than its competitors
Sam
And finally, a casualty is a person or thing that suffers as a result of something
else happening
Neil
That’s all for this look into nuclear and renewable energy
Sam
Bye for now!
Neil
Goodbye!
VOCABULARY
renewables
types of energy such as wind and solar power that can be replaced as quickly as
they are used
phase (something) out
gradually stop using (something)
vivid memories
memories that produce powerful feelings and strong, clear images in the mind
ingrained
(beliefs) so strongly held that they are difficult to change
unique selling point (or USP)
the feature of something that makes it different from and better than its
competitors
casualty
person or thing that suffers as a result of something else happening
