A young Aussie nuclear energy advocate has called out social media users as ‘silly’ after he faced a barrage of backlash for hugging a nuclear waste canister.
Founder of Nuclear for Australia Will Shackel, 18, shared a picture on social media of himself smiling, with his arms outstretched as he hugged the nuclear waste canister just under its hazard warning sign.
The pro-nuclear campaigner took the picture while visiting Sizewell B, the only commercial pressurised water reactor power station in Suffolk, east of England.
‘I just hugged a nuclear waste canister. It’s full of fuel assemblies which have been used in Sizewell B to provide clean, reliable power for millions of Brits,’ he wrote.
‘Importantly, the fuel still retains the majority of its energy meaning this waste could present future opportunities.’
Social media users slammed Will, with many claiming he would suffer the consequences of radiation exposure for the stunt.
‘Future opportunities or future radiation injuries,’ one person commented.
‘OH MY GOD. Have you bought a wig to cover the hair loss,’ a second person wrote.
Founder of Nuclear for Australia Will Shackel, 18, received a barrage of negative comments after he shared a picture of himself hugging a nuclear waste canister at Sizewell B – the commercial power station in Suffolk, east of England (pictured)
The young pro-nuclear campaigner (pictured) labelled the comments is ‘immature’ claiming the ‘so-called adults’ who wrote them did not have the correct information or understanding about nuclear energy
‘Will just hugged a nuclear waste canister. Maybe his balls will shrink and he won’t reproduce,’ a third claimed.
A fourth added: ‘That’s embarrassing. Do something good for the world, become a veterinarian or a medical doctor. A human rights lawyer maybe.’
A fifth said: ‘You really need a girlfriend.’
Will told Daily Mail Australia the comments he received from ‘so-called adults’ showed a lack of understanding about nuclear energy.
‘I made the point that the radiation I was exposed to as a result of standing next to that spent fuel canister was so negligible that I probably received significantly more radiation on my flight from, Brisbane to London,’ he explained.
‘I think people probably have to have a good hard look at themselves and maybe have a look at their science as well.
‘Because some of those comments about me losing my hair and losing fertility, that sort of stuff, was just ridiculous.’
He said that many Australians and politicians opposed to nuclear energy often relied on references to The Simpsons rather than credible scientific research.
Will said many Aussies and politicians who were anti-nuclear energy would often reference The Simpsons instead of verified scientific research (pictured, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s team produced this Simpsons-inspired meme)
Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Dr Andrew Leigh shared a photoshopped image of Blinky Bill with three eyes in front of Springfield’s nuclear power plant
The Albanese government faced intense backlash earlier this year due to a scare campaign targeting Peter Dutton’s nuclear energy policy.
Labor MPs flooded social media with references to The Simpsons, such as toxic spills creating three-eyed fish and koalas.
‘There’s been a huge void of information in Australia about nuclear energy and for that reason The Simpsons is often people’s only source of information,’ Will said.
The teenager said it was a ‘huge risk’ for Australia to pursue a 100 per cent renewable energy policy, and the country needed a balanced mix of renewable and nuclear power.
‘Australia deciding not to have all options on the table, having this really tunnel-vision approach to our energy system is really quite dangerous,’ he said.
‘Whether it’s failing to meet climate targets, running the risk of the lights going off or losing industries and even future industries and the jobs it would create.
‘I’m really concerned for my future and my generation’s future, if our politicians don’t take the action to lift the ban on nuclear energy.’
Will explained Nuclear for Australia had not endorsed any political party, but said the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy was a ‘welcome development’.
Opposition Leader Mr Dutton is pushing to build nuclear power stations in Australia as part of his election promise.
Reactors would be built at seven former coal power plant sites across Australia under his nuclear energy plan, including at Muswellbrook’s Liddell station in the NSW Hunter Valley.
‘I wish the coalition had done something about nuclear energy and had lifted the ban when they were in government, however it’s certainly encouraging to see Australia finally talking about nuclear energy,’ Will said.
Will said while Nuclear for Australia did not endorse any party in the upcoming election, the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy was a ‘welcome development (pictured, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton)
The recent Year 12 graduate explained he was always interested in technology due to his concern about the energy transition and climate crisis in Australia.
Will added he was never taught about nuclear energy while at school and founded Nuclear for Australia in 2022 after discovering Australia was the only top 20 economy to have a ban on nuclear power.
It has since become the largest nuclear advocacy organisation in the country, boasting more than 77,000 supporters including philanthropist Dick Smith.
Mr Smith warned that Labor politicians will eventually be forced to support nuclear energy, as he believes their green energy plan is destined to fail.
‘They will be convinced because there is simply no alternative,’ Mr Smith said.
‘We will have blackouts – you can’t run a country on intermittent solar and wind; it is impossible.
‘I understand every state has a ban on nuclear power, as well we have a federal ban on nuclear power, so those bans will have to be lifted.
‘We’re one of the largest sellers of uranium in the world, but we have legislation stating you can’t even consider it, and that is completely ridiculous.’
He also claimed the costs were not prohibitive.
‘I’m a believer in climate change, and I’m concerned for my grandkids.
‘I believe the only answer for the world to tackle climate is by going nuclear, by embracing it.
‘The government claims that it’s too expensive, but I said countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan have embraced nuclear, and they’re poor countries, so it’s not logical that Bangladesh can afford nuclear and Australia can’t.
When it came to storing nuclear waste, Mr Smith suggested the Olympic Dam in South Australia, which is also a known deposit for uranium.
‘I’ve been down in the mine at Olympic Dam – there’s huge, great cavities where we took uranium out, that’s where we should store the waste,’ he said.
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