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From: fred@mnetor.UUCP (Fred Williams)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: A naval presence in the arctic
Message-ID: <2198@mnetor.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Sep-85 11:03:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: mnetor.2198
Posted: Tue Sep 17 11:03:24 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Sep-85 12:23:21 EDT
References: <1386@utcsri.UUCP> <5952@utzoo.UUCP> <820@water.UUCP> <793@lsuc.UUCP> <5960@utzoo.UUCP> <2182@mnetor.UUCP> <40@utecfc.UUCP>
Reply-To: fred@mnetor.UUCP (Fred Williams)
Organization: Computer X (CANADA) Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lines: 56
Summary: 

In article <40@utecfc.UUCP> dennis@utecfc.UUCP (Dennis Ferguson) writes:
>While I am aware of some relatively minor problems with uranium mine
>mill tailings, I have not heard of any problems being encountered with
>the storage of nuclear waste in Canada (the U.S. I don't know about, I'd
>be interested in any specific information you might have). 

    I was of coarse not referring only to Canada.  This is a problem
that faces all of humanity without regards for national boundries.
We can make mistakes right here in Canada just as easily as anybody.
The fact that we don't have major problems now is probably because
we aren't as active in the nuclear industry as other nations. Give
it time, our mistakes will eventually catch up with us.
    By the way there have been some rather dangerous close calls
with Canadian reactors, Chalk River for one, I forget the date.

>...  The waste created by
>all Candu reactors is stored at the generating station in a big swimming
>pool, waiting for someone to figure out what to do with it.

    This is part of the problem.  What do we do with it?  Will future
generations be likely to thank us for these little "gifts"? 

>I wish the same could be said of the waste products of burning coal.  For
>starters, coal-fired generating stations, particularly those burning Eastern
>North American coal (i.e. in Ontario and most of the Eastern and Mid Western
>states), emit tremendous quantities of sulphur dioxide into the air, most
>of which returns to us as acid rain.  Already the most environmentally
>sensitive part of the eastern continent, the Canadian Shield, has sustained
>massive damage.  The number of lakes which no longer support life is
>in the thousands, and will soon number in the tens of thousands if the
>situation does not improve.  The PH of the soil is also dropping, to the
>point where, in some areas, the forests are thinning.  What is the value
>of a lake, or a forest?  How many billions of dollars of environmental
>damage has already been caused, in no small measure, by power production
>from coal?  What will happen when the problem extends further south to
>the farm lands of southern Ontario and Quebec?  The inevitable consequences
>should we continue on like this are not pleasant to think about.
>
    I agree!  This is definately one of our biggest problems!!!
It cannot even be fought by adding lime to the forest environment
because neutralizing the acid only creates salt which is no good
either.  The problem has to be solved at the source!  Eliminate the
cause.

    Your other comments, which I am editing for brevity's sake, are
all quite valid.  The raising of the Earth's temperature, and sea
levels would create problems of a magnitude that we have never dreamed
of.  The current famine in Africa will seem trivial by comarison.
All in all, the future doesn't look bright for planet Earth. Did
someone say that we are the most intelligent species??  How come all
this is our fault??(:-(>

-- 
Cheers,      Fred Williams,
UUCP: {allegra, linus, ihnp4}!utzoo!mnetor!fred
BELL: (416)-475-8980 ext. 318