Don’t be duped by nuclear power
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Security: President Obama recently warned that the risk of nuclear materials falling into the hands of terrorists is on the rise. Global leaders have pledged to reduce access to those materials which could be used to fashion a deadly bomb.

The expansion of nuclear power, here and abroad, raises the threat that terrorists will see the trade, transport and storage of fissile materials as a tempting source for bomb-making.

Even in the U.S., security of spent fuel is lax and experts warn it is a prime target for terrorists. Until the waste problem is permanently and safely resolved, that threat remains.

Forty years ago, when invited to rally to the defense of their environment, Americans rose to the occasion. The last four decades have brought revolutionary changes in the healthiness of our air and water and the vitality of our natural areas.

We’ve been offered a lot of false promises and greenwashing during those years, and we have acquired what Hemingway called the “crap detector.” Only the gullible are buying what the nuclear industry is selling.

The climate clock is ticking. Achieving a safe, self-reliant, prosperous future now will be more expensive and more painful than if we had simply stayed the course 30 years ago. Let’s not hop from the climate frying pan to the nuclear fire. Let’s not waste more time and money on an outdated nuclear technology that has already flunked the market test.

Denis Hayes, of Seattle, Wash., is the international chairman of Earth Day 2010. He is president of the Bullitt Foundation, a philanthropic environmental organization based in Seattle. Hayes was director of the Illinois Energy Office, 1974-76. This commentary is distributed by American Forum.