Open letter regarding opposition to a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK

The document argues that nuclear power is an unsuitable solution for the UK's energy and climate goals due to long construction times, lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, high costs, and safety risks. The signatories advocate for redirecting investment toward energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other low-carbon technologies.

• The authors argue that nuclear power's contribution to mitigating climate change is limited because new stations would take at least ten years to construct, missing a critical window for action. Additionally, they claim that lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions—including construction, uranium refining, and decommissioning—are significant and would increase as high-grade uranium ore is depleted.
• The letter disputes the claim that nuclear power enhances energy security, noting that the UK would remain dependent on imported uranium ore subject to political insecurity. The authors also highlight that the centralised nature of large nuclear plants makes them more vulnerable to technical failure, sabotage, or terrorist attacks than decentralised energy sources.
• The economics of nuclear power are described as unfavourable due to high upfront investment costs and unique long-term public liabilities for waste management, decommissioning, and accident insurance. The authors suggest that these costs often displace investment in more cost-effective alternatives.
• The document identifies severe safety and proliferation risks, specifically the difficulty of isolating radioactive waste over timescales that "dwarf that of human civilisation" and the risk that expanding civil nuclear power encourages the spread of nuclear weapons, particularly in developing countries.
• The signatories propose that government resources should instead be directed toward energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies, community combined heat and power plants, microgeneration, coal gasification, and carbon capture and geological storage.

APA

Parkinson, S., Barnaby, F., Barnham, K., Bashford, K., Begg, K., Bordass, W., Butterfield, R., Cromwell, D., Cruchley, F., Darby, S., Dickinson, S., Edwards, B., Foxon, T., Hersh, M., Smith, A., Smith, H., Taylor, I., Thompson, L., Thring, J. B., ... Palmer, J. (2006). Open letter regarding opposition to a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK. Scientists for Global Responsibility. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/open-letter-tony-blair-regarding-opposition-new-generation-nuclear-power-stations-uk

Chicago

Parkinson, Stuart, Frank Barnaby, Keith Barnham, Kathryn Bashford, Katherine Begg, William Bordass, Roy Butterfield, et al. Open letter regarding opposition to a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK. Scientists for Global Responsibility, 2006. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/open-letter-tony-blair-regarding-opposition-new-generation-nuclear-power-stations-uk.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Parkinson |first1=Stuart |last2=Barnaby |first2=Frank |last3=Barnham |first3=Keith |last4=Bashford |first4=Kathryn |last5=Begg |first5=Katherine |last6=Bordass |first6=William |last7=Butterfield |first7=Roy |last8=Cromwell |first8=David |last9=Cruchley |first9=Fiona |display-authors=etal |title=Open letter regarding opposition to a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK |publisher=Scientists for Global Responsibility |date=10 April 2006 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/open-letter-tony-blair-regarding-opposition-new-generation-nuclear-power-stations-uk |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{parkinson2006open, author = {Parkinson, Stuart and Barnaby, Frank and Barnham, Keith and Bashford, Kathryn and Begg, Katherine and Bordass, William and Butterfield, Roy and Cromwell, David and Cruchley, Fiona and Darby, Sarah and Dickinson, Stephen and Edwards, Brian and Foxon, Tim and Hersh, Marion and Smith, Adrian and Smith, Heidi and Taylor, Ian and Thompson, Laura and Thring, James B and Tibbits, Tom and Webber, Philip and Whitby, Mark and Whitelegg, John and Andrews, Dave and Elliott, David and Fairlie, Ian and Fsadni, Mario and Kapoor, Prashant and Palmer, Jane}, title = {{Open letter regarding opposition to a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK}}, publisher = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2006}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/open-letter-tony-blair-regarding-opposition-new-generation-nuclear-power-stations-uk}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }