Britain needs to build new nuclear power stations if it is to contribute to combating global climate change, the government's chief scientific adviser said today.
Prof David King argued that, at the very least, decommissioned nuclear power plants would have to be replaced if Britain was to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and make progress in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
"The key new driver is climate change. It seems clear to me that our dependence on fossil fuels would be unchanged unless there is a new nuclear build at least to replace existing nuclear power stations," Prof King told BBC Radio 4's Todayprogramme.
He acknowledged dealing with nuclear waste was a serious problem but argued that it was manageable.
"We have to deal with the nuclear waste problem, that is not something we can leave. On the other hand, that is a problem we have at the moment, it is a legacy from, probably above all, the long Cold War period, and we have to deal with that whether or not we continue with nuclear power.
"We have some very substantial research going on into various methods of treating nuclear waste and into deep ground disposal".
Prof King said: "Those who are opposed to nuclear on environmental grounds have to weigh up this difficult balance. And I myself feel this is the crucial thing, are we going to continue with global warming or are we going to mitigate it?
"We need to continue our dependence on nuclear power at least in the intermediate phase until renewables really come on stream substantially," he said.
PA