Title: ‘Uranium, energy and the future of nuclear power’
Speaker: Paul Mobbs
Facilitator: Quentin Cooper
Venue: Trinity Catholic High School
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Paul Mobbs, Mobbs' Environmental Investigations.
Paul Mobbs is an independent consultant, researcher and writer on energy, environment and low impact technology. After leaving college he worked in the engineering industry, before leaving to set up his consultancy business in 1991. Specialising in waste, pollution and development issues, over the past twelve years he has developed a consultancy and research portfolio that caters specifically for small NGO and community-level organisations. |
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Quentin Cooper was recently described by The Times as 'an expert on everything from pop music to astrophysics. The Daily Mail claim his “wit and enthusiasm can enliven the driest of topics”. After a master’s degree in psychology and artificial intelligence and a postgraduate diploma in journalism, Quentin joined the BBC as a news producer, later becoming a presenter for radio and television. An avowed populist, he continues to present a range of science and technology documentaries, magazines, discussions and phone-ins across radio and tvelevision. |
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Before Paul Mobbs spoke, several students took to the stage to give some very entertaining presentations highlighting issues surrounding the storage of nuclear waste. These Year 7 students (11 – 12 years old) had been coached by the Year 12 NGS students (16 – 17 years old) and the sketches were excellent and a credit to all involved.
Paul Mobbs then spoke on many of the issues surrounding nuclear energy, giving a wide-ranging talk which touched upon the looming energy crisis and examined how much uranium is actually available for use. He explained how the main problems to solve are in the area of materials science and engineering, in order to increase both the efficiency and the safety of nuclear reactors. Without major developments in this area nuclear power will not be able to make a substantial difference in overall carbon emissions.
After his talk the audience questioned Paul on various aspects, ranging from the technical: ‘How could we get energy from plutonium?’ and ‘How soon could we see a fully functioning fast reactor?’, to the philosophical: ‘Could an accident like Chernobyl happen again?’ and ‘Is there any good news out there?’. One of the main themes of the debate was how to change people’s mentality about energy consumption, as this is the main root of the energy crisis. As Paul pointed out, everything in society depends on energy, and the only way forward is to become more energy efficient. For this to happen more public figures need to lead the way and show that it is possible to live a low energy lifestyle.
Feedback showed that the students had enjoyed the event and were impressed with the speakers passion and the fact that he had actually ‘made the jump’ to an eco-friendly lifestyle. The teachers from the other London schools are already planning Junior Science cafes in their schools and we look forward to future events in the series.
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