Premier Bob Carr of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, said waiting for alternative energy sources which are still years away was not a sufficient response to the environmental damage being done by burning fossil fuels to create electricity.

Carr, from the center-left Labor Party which has led opposition to nuclear power in the past, said atomic energy could be the answer to global warming, much of which is caused by greenhouse emissions from burning fossil fuels.

"The planet is warming up and we need some new energy source until wind and solar and hydrogen become available," he said.

"I just think the world's got to debate whether uranium-derived power is more dangerous than coal.

Australia currently has only one nuclear reactor, located in Sydney and which is used for research purposes only.

Carr's surprise remarks drew immediate fire from environmental groups.

"Debate on the merits of nuclear power ended in 1986 when a reactor at the Chernobyl power station exploded, exposing the region to radiation levels 100 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb," said Ian Cohen, a New South Wales lawmaker from the Greens party.

"There is a huge propaganda push on by the nuclear industry right now to justify nuclear power as a solution to global warming, and Bob Carr is being sucked in," he said.

Carr's proposal came amid a national debate over whether Australia should step up mining and export of its vast uranium reserves, the biggest in the world.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer revealed to parliament earlier this week that authorities were considering expanding the export of uranium, including to China and to southeast Asian nations considering a shift to nuclear power.

Downer's remarks also sparked protests from environmental groups.

"The Minister for Resources (Ian Macfarlane) has said the government wants to export 'as much uranium as we possibly can', despite the environmental and nuclear proliferation dangers it poses," said Greens senator Kerry Nettle.

"To facilitate the expansion of the most dangerous industry on the planet is irresponsible, putting dollars before sense," she said.

"The expansion of the nuclear energy industry will act as a disincentive for government to invest in renewable energy whilst simultaneously increasing the level of radioactive waste in the world.

"It's an environmentally disastrous decision."

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