Environmental Justice

False Solutions: Group Slides

Here are reasons nuclear energy is a false solution:

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1. Nuclear energy generates huge amounts of toxic waste

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• Nuclear energy is expensive and dangerous (eg - Chernobyl, Fukushima Dai Chi, Bhopal Gas tragedy)

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• Weapons proliferation and nuclear war risk

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Here are some links to resources:

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1. https://www.oneearth.org/the-7-reasons-why-nuclear-energy-is-not-the-answer-to-solve-climate-change/#:~:text=Barriers%20to%20and%20risks%20associated,concerns%2C%20and%20adverse%20public%20opinion.

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• https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/52758/reasons-why-nuclear-energy-not-way-green-and-peaceful-world/

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Why Nuclear Energy is a False Solution

Here are reasons bioenergy is a false solution:

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1. Biomass power plants are not actually carbon neutral and emit GHGs

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• Expensive and uses funding/subsidies that could instead go to true clean energy options

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• Can harm community resiliency against wildfires by clearing large parts of forests to use as biomass

Here are some links to resources:

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1. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/debunking_the_biomass_myth/pdfs/Forest-Bioenergy-Briefing-Book-March-2021.pdf
2. https://www.woodwellclimate.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-burning-us-sourced-woody-biomass-in-the-eu-and-uk/
3. https://www.regulations.gov/comment/IRS-2024-0026-1561

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Why Bioenergy is a False Solution

Here are reasons nuclear energy is a false solution:

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1. …

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Here are some links to resources:

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Why Mineral Mining is a False Solution

Here are reasons hydrogen energy is a false solution:

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• …Most hydrogen today is produced using fossil fuels through a process called steam methane reforming (SMR), which emits a significant amount of carbon dioxide

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• …Developing the infrastructure needed to produce, transport, and store hydrogen is costly and complex. (pipelines)

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Here are some links to resources:

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• …https://www.sierraclub.org/articles/2022/01/hydrogen-future-clean-energy-or-false-solution

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• …https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/570239-environmental-group-warns-hydrogen-is-a-false-solution-for/

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• …

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Why Hydrogen is a False Solution

Here are reasons waste to energy is a false solution:

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1. burning waste pollutes (harmful chemicals, PM2.5)

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• “Because energy is required to run waste incinerators, the net amount of energy generated through incineration is low or in some cases nonexistent—so even “waste to energy” is often a misnomer.”

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• Negative impact on recycling, as people assume that waste can just be burned instead.

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Here are some links to resources:

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1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10291493/

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• https://www.nrdc.org/bio/daniel-rosenberg/burned-why-waste-incineration-harmful

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• https://hub.birmingham.ac.uk/resources/article/llm-future-of-waste-to-energy/
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Why Waste to Energy is a False Solution

Here are reasons geo-thermal energy is a false solution:

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1. Increase in seismic activity

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• Large amount of water use

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• CO2 production and other toxic waste such as silica compounds and toxic heavy metals

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Here are some links to resources:

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1. https://www.energysage.com/about-clean-energy/geothermal/pros-cons-geothermal-energy/

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• https://www.fws.gov/node/265252

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• https://earth.org/geothermal-energy-advantages-and-disadvantages/

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Why Geo-thermal is a False Solution