The Workers’ Party will launch a public consultation on nuclear power and the climate crisis, with an online debate with the Green Party scheduled to take place this Thursday August 13th.

The debate coincides with the launch by the Workers’ Party of a discussion paper setting out the case in favour of nuclear power.

Speaking on the launch of the paper, Workers’ Party Ard Comhairle member and the paper’s author, Gavin Gleason, said: 

“There are very real fears in Ireland about the risks posed by nuclear power. But there is no doubt but that the risk of climate catastrophe dwarfs any risks posed by nuclear at this point. It’s high time the debate on Ireland’s energy security moved forward.

“In the Workers’ Party, we have tried to kickstart that debate by offering our members space to debate and consider the arguments in favour and against nuclear power. My paper puts forward the case in favour of nuclear – as the only viable path to sustainable energy security for Ireland’s future.”

Gleason continued:

“The environmental movement in Ireland has led on many changes to making our planet sustainable. But it has also sometimes refused to face the hard reality of the fact that we live in the twenty-first century, and we cannot solve the environmental crisis by turning off our lights or cycling to work. 

“That means a total transformation of how we create energy. Wind and solar power simply cannot do that at the scale required. Nuclear power can solve that problem.”

Gleason concluded:

“The Party’s public debate is part of a process of enabling the Irish public to consider the potential of nuclear power free of past biases, and in light of the growing potential for climate catastrophe on our planet.

 

“We encourage all with an interest to attend – whatever their views on nuclear power.”