The nuclear advertising film ' Pandora's Promise' will be showing around Australia, and in Edinburgh and London in the next couple of weeks. It is largely funded by people from the pro nuclear Breakthrough Institute, including people like Bill Gates, who has his own nuclear power company Terra Power. It is directed by passionate nuclear enthusiast, Robert Stone, who does Q and A afterwards, and over-talks any critical questioners.
The film initially discusses the "downside" of the nuclear industry's history, using previous accidents to prove the safety of new nuclear. It singles out supposed leading anti nuclear activists who now are pro nuclear. However, not one of these has genuine anti nuclear credentials. Names include Stewart Brandon who now runs a pro nuclear think tank.No one in the film ever led the anti-nuclear movement.
Weaknesses of this film include the way that it:
mocks anti nuclear opinions as a bunch extremists and zealots. It makes no effort to portray any sensible opposing opinion.
minimises the health effects of ionising radaiation with downright untruths, for instance, telling us only that Chernobyl killed 56 people. It leaves out that a United Nations World Health Organization agency predicts 16,000 more will die from Chernobyl cancers and that the European Environment Agency estimates 34,000 more. It omits that non-fatal thyroid cancer struck another 6,000, mostly children
does not mention the crippling economics that is now closing nuclear plants in USA (Florida, Wisconsin and California), nor the imperative for tax-payer subsidy
does not mention insurance: the nuclear industry, alone among industries is exempt from risk through USA's Price Anderson Act, as well as every home owner’s insurance policy stating that this policy does not compensate you for any radiation damage from a nuclear power plant.
claims that nuclear power is a solution to global warming, ignoring the fuel cycle's own emissions, and the many decades it would take to develop nuclear, even it it were a solution.
The film moves on to promotion of new nuclear power plants. In this discussion it
avoids the economics of Small Nuclear reactors (SMRs) Even under the best of circumstances, there will be no SMR prototype for as long as a decade or more. There are serious questions over the economics of mass producing these, over their safety, and the huge costs of maintaining security over thousands of little nuclear reactors scattered around the land. None of this is discussed in the film.
promotes Integral Fast Reactors (IFRs) - fast breeder reactors. but doesn't mention the past failure of these, in USA , France (Super Phoenix) Japan (Monju), and their enormous cost.
Dishonestly minimises the nuclear waste problems of IFR's. Film does not explain that the final wastes, while smaller in volume, are far more radioactive and dangerous than existing nuclear wastes, and therefore require the same amount of storage space and security.
This film has been described by Robert F Kennedy as an "elaborate hoax".http://nuclear-news.net/2013/06/21/nuclear-war-robert-stone-versus-rober...
If you are interested in critiques of Pandora"s Promise, these can be found at www.nuclear-news.net, by scrolling down the right hand sidebar to the SEARCH box at the bottom, and just typing in "Pandora's Promise".
Melbourne - Classic Cinema Elsternwick Monday Oct 7 and Tuesday Oct 8 (Robert Stone in attendance)
Adelaide - Mercury Cinema Morphett St Wed Oct 9
Perth - Luna Palace Cinema, Nedlands Thurs Oct 10
Canberra- The Arc Cinema, McCoy Circuit - Fri Oct 11
Sydney - Hoyts, Moore Park, Sat Oct 12 and Sun Oct 13
Brisbane - Bemac Cinema, Kangaroo Point - Mon Oct 14
Edinburgh, Scotland - Centre for Contemporary Arts - Tues Oct 8
London, England - Ritzy PicturehouseSat Oct 16