Nuclear Energy Promise Or Peril

Explores opposing viewpoints on expanding the uses of nuclear power with emphasis on pollution, safety, and waste disposal.

Nuclear energy will inevitably become an important issue worldwide in the 21st century. It pollutes the environment, with consequences that are highly controversial; and it generates plutonium ? the essential component of nuclear weapons. At the same time, it is a realistic alternative to at least some of the expected huge increase in global demand for fossil-fuel burning, which itself is a major source of environmental pollution, and not least of ?greenhouse? gases.This invaluable book attempts to provide, for the non-technical reader, an objective and critical account of the main issues involved. The authors are authorities in their own fields, and their contributions have been read in manuscript, discussed and criticised by a wider, international group of experts. Thus, whilst much of its contents may arouse controversy, the book should be an excellent starting point for informed public discussion of a vitally important topic.

Nuclear energy will inevitably become an important issue worldwide in the 21st century. It pollutes the environment, with consequences that are highly controversial; and it generates plutonium — the essential component of nuclear weapons. At the same time, it is a realistic alternative to at least some of the expected huge increase in global demand for fossil-fuel burning, which itself is a major source of environmental pollution, and not least of “greenhouse” gases.This invaluable book attempts to provide, for the non-technical reader, an objective and critical account of the main issues involved. The authors are authorities in their own fields, and their contributions have been read in manuscript, discussed and criticised by a wider, international group of experts. Thus, whilst much of its contents may arouse controversy, the book should be an excellent starting point for informed public discussion of a vitally important topic.

In Megawatts and Megatons, world-renowned physicists Richard L. Garwin and Georges Charpak offer an accessible, eminently well-informed primer on two of the most important issues of our time: nuclear weapons and nuclear power. They begin by explaining clearly and concisely how nuclear fission and fusion work in both warheads and reactors, and how they can impact human health. Making a strong and eloquent argument in favor of arms control, Garwin and Charpak outline specific strategies for achieving this goal worldwide. But they also demonstrate how nuclear power can provide an assured, economically feasible, and environmentally responsible source of energy—in a way that avoids the hazards of weapons proliferation. Numerous figures enliven the text, including cartoons by Sempé.

Nuclear power has been held out as possibly the most important source of energy for India. And the dream of a nuclear-powered India has been supported by huge financial budgets and high-level political commitment for over six decades. Nuclear power has also been presented as safe, environmentally benign and cheap. Physicist and writer M.V. Ramana offers a detailed narrative of the evolution of India’s nuclear energy programme, examining different aspects of it and the claims of success made on its behalf. In The Power of Promise he makes a historically nuanced and compelling argument as to why the nuclear energy programme has failed in the past and why its future is dubious. Ramana shows that nuclear power has been more expensive than conventional forms of electricity generation, that the ever-present risk of catastrophic accidents is heightened by observed organizational inadequacies at nuclear facilities, and that existing nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been correlated with impacts on public health and the environment. He offers detailed information and analysis that should serve to deepen the debate on whether India should indeed embark on a massive nuclear programme.

The Promise and the Peril

"Duffy's work traces nuclear politics from the creation of a powerful subgovernment through the public lobby reforms of the late 1960s and early 1970s and the deregulatory backlash of the Reagan years. He demonstrates that while policies did change in the 1970s, they did not change as much as other accounts have suggested, and that the industry continued to receive considerable federal support. The book is particularly significant for extending the discussion of nuclear policy through the Bush and Clinton years, including the controversy over waste disposal, new licensing procedures enacted in the 1992 Amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, and the effects of deregulation of electric utilities." -- Amazon.com viewed August 24, 2020.