Gordon Edwards (activist)

Last updated
Gordon Edwards
Born1940 (age 83–84)
Canada
Alma mater University of Toronto
University of Chicago

Gordon Edwards (b. 1940) is the president and co-founder of the nonprofit organization Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility. [1]

Contents

Edwards was born in Lansdowne, Ontario and grew up in Toronto. [1] His parents were both pharmacists, and he was the youngest of five children. [1] He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1961 with a gold medal in Mathematics and Physics and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. [2] He later obtained two master's degrees from the University of Chicago, and in 1972, he obtained a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Queen's University. [2] He taught mathematics at Vanier College in Montreal. [1] He is known as a leading anti-nuclear activist in Canada.

Edwards gained public profile after he debated Edward Teller, the famous physicist and ‘father of the hydrogen bomb’, on live Canadian national television on October 17, 1974, [3] [4] becoming known as a leading anti-nuclear activist. [5] The Great Debate was moderated by Canadian television personality and author, Pierre Berton. The resolution debated was: "nuclear power plants are necessary and should be constructed." Edwards argued against the proposition and won by 60 to 36 votes. [6] Since then, Edwards has been featured on Canadian national television broadcasts and in documentaries as a critic of the nuclear industry. [7] He was featured on two episodes of the CBC’s The Nature of Things hosted by David Suzuki. The first, in 1998, was called The Friendly Atom and considered how nuclear technology has been used for peaceful purposes and for war. Edwards and Alex Mayman, Vice-President of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., were interviewed in the episode. [8] The second, in 2010, was called My Nuclear Neighbour and looked at small towns in Ontario and Alberta hosting or considering nuclear reactors. The episode featured Edwards alongside Duncan Hawthorne, the president and CEO of Bruce Power, the world’s largest operating nuclear facility. [9] In 2011, Edwards was interviewed over 20 times about the Fukushima nuclear accident on CBC Television News, CTV Television News, and Canada-AM (CTV). [7]

Edwards has published articles and reports on radiation standards, radioactive wastes, [10] uranium mining, [11] nuclear proliferation, [12] the economics of nuclear power, [13] its health implications, [14] and non-nuclear energy strategies. [15] Edwards co-authored a 1976 nation-wide study of the role of the mathematical sciences in business, industry, government, education and science in seven volumes. Mathematical Sciences in Canada was commissioned and published by the Science Council of Canada. [16]

Edwards has provided consulting services on nuclear issues to governmental and non-governmental bodies at the provincial, territorial, national and international levels. He has also provided invited testimony and expert sworn testimony to legislative bodies, commissions, and courts. [17] He has worked as a consultant for governmental bodies such as the Auditor General of Canada, the Select Committee on Ontario Hydro Affairs, and the Ontario Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning. [15] In 2006, he received the Nuclear-Free Future Award in the "education" category. [18] [19] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CANDU reactor</span> Canadian heavy water nuclear reactor design

The CANDU is a Canadian pressurized heavy-water reactor design used to generate electric power. The acronym refers to its deuterium oxide moderator and its use of uranium fuel. CANDU reactors were first developed in the late 1950s and 1960s by a partnership between Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, Canadian General Electric, and other companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Municipality of Durham</span> Regional municipality in Ontario, Canada

The Regional Municipality of Durham, informally referred to as Durham Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. Located east of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York, Durham forms the east-end of the Greater Toronto Area and part of the Golden Horseshoe region. It has an area of approximately 2,500 km2 (970 sq mi). The regional government is headquartered in Whitby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickering Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant in Canada

Pickering Nuclear Generating Station is a Canadian nuclear power station located on the north shore of Lake Ontario in Pickering, Ontario. It is one of the oldest nuclear power stations in the world and Canada's third-largest, with eight CANDU reactors. Since 2003, two of these units have been defuelled and deactivated. The remaining six produce about 16% of Ontario's power and employ 3,000 workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalk River Laboratories</span> Research facility in Ontario, Canada

Chalk River Laboratories is a Canadian nuclear research facility in Deep River, about 180 km (110 mi) north-west of Ottawa.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is a Canadian Crown corporation and the largest nuclear science and technology laboratory in Canada. AECL developed the CANDU reactor technology starting in the 1950s, and in October 2011 licensed this technology to Candu Energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlington Nuclear Generating Station</span> Canadian Nuclear Power Plant

Darlington Nuclear Generating Station is a Canadian nuclear power station located on the north shore of Lake Ontario in Clarington, Ontario. It is a large nuclear facility comprising four CANDU nuclear reactors with a total output of 3,512 MWe when all units are online, providing about 20 percent of Ontario's electricity needs, enough to serve a city of two million people. The reactor design is significantly more powerful than those used in previous CANDU sites at Pickering and Bruce, making its 4-unit plant the second-largest in Canada behind the 8-unit Bruce. It is named for the Township of Darlington, the name of the municipality in which it is located, which is now part of the amalgamated Municipality of Clarington.

Nuclear power in Canada is provided by 19 commercial reactors with a net capacity of 13.5 gigawatt (GW), producing a total of 95.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, which accounted for 16.6% of the country's total electric energy generation in 2015. All but one of these reactors are located in Ontario, where they produced 61% of the province's electricity in 2019. Seven smaller reactors are used for research and to produce radiopharmaceuticals for use in nuclear medicine.

The New Democratic Party fielded a full slate of 308 candidates in the 2006 Canadian federal election. It won 29 seats in the election to remain the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons. Many of the New Democratic Party's candidates have their own biography pages; information about others may be found here.

Nuclear power is the fifth-largest source of electricity in India after coal, gas, hydroelectricity and wind power. As of November 2020, India has 23 nuclear reactors in operation in 8 nuclear power plants, with a total installed capacity of 7,380 MW. Nuclear power produced a total of 43 TWh in 2020–21, contributing 3.11% of total power generation in India. 10 more reactors are under construction with a combined generation capacity of 8,000 MW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Green (activist)</span> Australian environmentalist

Jim Green is an anti-nuclear campaigner with Friends of the Earth Australia. Green is a regular media commentator on nuclear issues. He has an honours degree in public health from the University of Wollongong and was awarded a PhD in science and technology studies for his analysis of the Lucas Heights research reactor debates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-nuclear movement in Australia</span>

Nuclear weapons testing, uranium mining and export, and nuclear power have often been the subject of public debate in Australia, and the anti-nuclear movement in Australia has a long history. Its origins date back to the 1972–1973 debate over French nuclear testing in the Pacific and the 1976–1977 debate about uranium mining in Australia.

Canada has an active anti-nuclear movement, which includes major campaigning organisations like Greenpeace and the Sierra Club. Over 300 public interest groups across Canada have endorsed the mandate of the Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout (CNP). Some environmental organisations such as Energy Probe, the Pembina Institute and the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (CCNR) are reported to have developed considerable expertise on nuclear power and energy issues. There is also a long-standing tradition of indigenous opposition to uranium mining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Power Generation</span> Electric utility company in Canada

Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG) is a Crown corporation and "government business enterprise" that is responsible for approximately half of the electricity generation in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is wholly owned by the government of Ontario. Sources of electricity include nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, gas and biomass. Although Ontario has an open electricity market, the provincial government, as OPG's sole shareholder, regulates the price the company receives for its electricity to be less than the market average, in an attempt to stabilize prices. Since 1 April 2008, the company's rates have been regulated by the Ontario Energy Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear power in Australia</span>

Nuclear power in Australia has been a topic of debate since the 1930s. Australia has one nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights, New South Wales, although it is only used to produce radionuclides for nuclear medicine, and does not produce electricity. Australia hosts 33% of the world's proven uranium deposits, and is currently the world's third largest producer of uranium after Kazakhstan and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear industry in Canada</span>

Nuclear industry in Canada is an active business and research sector, producing about 15% of its electricity in nuclear power plants of domestic design. Canada is the world's largest exporter of uranium, and has the world's second largest proven reserves. Canada also exports nuclear technology within the terms of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory, and is the world's largest producer of radioactive medical isotopes.

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is a provider of advanced reactors and nuclear services. It is headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States. Established in June 2007, GEH is a nuclear alliance created by General Electric and Hitachi. In Japan, the alliance is Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy. In November 2015, Jay Wileman was appointed CEO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorium-based nuclear power</span> Nuclear energy extracted from thorium isotopes

Thorium-based nuclear power generation is fueled primarily by the nuclear fission of the isotope uranium-233 produced from the fertile element thorium. A thorium fuel cycle can offer several potential advantages over a uranium fuel cycle—including the much greater abundance of thorium found on Earth, superior physical and nuclear fuel properties, and reduced nuclear waste production. One advantage of thorium fuel is its low weaponization potential. It is difficult to weaponize the uranium-233 that is bred in the reactor. Plutonium-239 is produced at much lower levels and can be consumed in thorium reactors.

Thorium Energy Alliance (TEA) is a non-governmental, non-profit 501(c)3, educational organization based in the United States, which seeks to promote energy security of the world through the use of thorium as a fuel source. The potential for the use of thorium was studied extensively during the 1950s and 60s, and now worldwide interest is being revived due to limitations and issues concerning safety, economics, use and issues in the availability of other energy sources. TEA advocates thorium based nuclear power in existing reactors and primarily in next generation reactors. TEA promotes many initiatives to educate scientists, engineers, government officials, policymakers and the general public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EWL Management Limited</span> Defunct Canadian mine holding company

The successor of multiple historical Canadian mining and energy companies, EWL Management Limited was an Alberta based corporation that owned five decommissioned mines in Ontario, including three former uranium mines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranium mining in the Bancroft area</span> History of mining in Bancroft, Canada

Uranium mining around Bancroft, Ontario, was conducted at four sites, beginning in the early 1950s and concluding by 1982. Bancroft was one of two major uranium-producing areas in Ontario, and one of seven in Canada, all located along the edge of the Canadian Shield. In the context of mining, the "Bancroft area" includes Haliburton, Hastings, and Renfrew counties, and all areas between Minden and Lake Clear. Activity in the mid-1950s was described by engineer A. S. Bayne in a 1977 report as the "greatest uranium prospecting rush in the world".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Buchignani, Walter (2 July 1989). "Math teacher aims to solve nuclear puzzle; Introducing . . . Gordon Edwards". Montreal Gazette. pp. A2. ProQuest   431822022 – via ProQuest.
  2. 1 2 Saunders, Graham (17 April 2023). "Nuclear waste questions continue to multiple". The Chronicle-Journal. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Dotto, Lydia (November–December 1978). "The Great Nuclear Debate". Science Forum: 41–46.
  4. ↑ McNeil, Gerard (3 September 1975). "Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility includes diverse array of worried citizens". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. p. 61.
  5. ↑ Canadian Press (30 April 1981). "Nuclear foe can't give up the crusade". Waterloo Region Record, p. 65. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Global Television (25 May 2015). "1974 Nuclear Debate : G Edwards vs E Teller (TV 48m)". YouTube. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  7. 1 2 "CCNR Audio-Visual Directory". ccnr.org. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "The Friendly Atom (46m)". youtube. The Nature of Things. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  9. ↑ The Nature of Things (7 July 2010). "My Nuclear Neighbour - Intro". youtube. CBC Television. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  10. ↑ Edwards, Gordon. Regulatory Challenges in the Age of Nuclear Waste and Decommissioning. 2019
  11. ↑ Edwards, Gordon. Uranium: A Discussion Guide, National Film Board of Canada, 1991. ISBN: 0-7722-0233-8
  12. ↑ Edwards, Gordon. Fuelling the Arms Race: Canada's Nuclear Trade. Ploughshares Monitor, v. 6, n. 2. Waterloo. June, 1985
  13. ↑ Edwards, Gordon. Canada’s Nuclear Dilemma, in Energy: Ethics, Power and Policy, Journal of Business Administration, vol. 13, nos. 1 & 2, 1982
  14. ↑ Edwards, Gordon. Health Implications of Pelleting Operations at the BWXT-Peterborough Plant, in A Review of Human Health and Environmental Protections in Response to BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. (BWXT) 10-year Licence Renewal for Peterborough and Toronto Facilities, 2020. Pages 35-63.
  15. 1 2 "Curriculum Vitae – Gordon Edwards, March 2024" (PDF).
  16. ↑ Beltzner, Klaus P., Edwards, Gordon D., Coleman, Albert John. Mathematical Sciences in Canada. Science Council of Canada, 1976. ISBN: 0660003880, 9780660003887
  17. ↑ "IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Beyond Nuclear, et al., Plaintiffs, -VS- U.S. Department of Energy, et al, Defendants" (PDF). static1.1.sqspcdn.com.
  18. ↑ Hardeen, George (2006-12-12). "Six honored with Nuclear-Free Future awards at 2006 World Uranium Summit". Navajo-Hopi Observer. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  19. ↑ O'Donnell, Susan (March 13, 2020). "Dr. Gordon Edwards in NB to talk about nuclear energy".
  20. ↑ "Gordon Edwards, Canada". September 26, 2023.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.