Damned if you do and damned if you don't

摘要

Mention uranium mining to investors and they reach for their bank accounts. Mention it to a miner and you'll get a look of despair and various arguments on the immaturity of the debate in Australia. Mention it to a greenie and be prepared for a long and involved dissertation on the evils of this common, yet unusual metal. So, what is uranium and why does it cause such passionate opposition among those who consider themselves green? In simplistic terms uranium is a silvery white, weakly radioactive metal, slightly softer than steel, which occurs in most rocks in concentrations of two to four parts per million.