Nuclear power: the alternatives

Mention the word nuclear to an environmentalist and you’ll either hear an eerie silence or see an expression of horror rapidly spread across their face. And, so it seems, partly for good reason. The question the large majority of ecologists and environmental consultants constantly ask when having spent time in the region is why nuclear when so many natural alternatives exist? It seems staggering to think that in an area where oil and gas are so prevalent, where the sun ferociously beats down for the large majority of the year and vast expanses of land are begging to turned into more than simply sand plains, that several Middle Eastern governments are considering ordering the construction of power plants.
Stephen Oehme, an environmental consultant and value management expert, is at the heart of the Middle East’s largest environmental benchmarking project, the Palisades, a US$4bn luxury property development in Dubai.Oehme and his team are reviewing 20 initiatives throughout the project from a vacuum system for rubbish bags to transport and centralise waste, to water efficient household appliances to reduce energy consumption.

“The key is to implement these solutions and initiatives such as energy management and minimisation in the early design phase,” says Oehme.

Barriers to achieving even further environmental success, however, still exist, but Oehme has faith in the property industry and believes it will step up to the green plate in the coming year.

“A lot of developers are not willing to reveal their plans for competitive reasons and because they have other priorities and primary selling points.

The primary drivers for the property industry are currently aesthetics and scale and prominence,” he explains. “The environment counts as a secondary factor, but it will move up the list of priorities in the next 12 to 18 months. The whole agenda will transform and won’t go nuclear.”

Arabian Business