‘the begining of anew eran which the tical about environmental denger waming Chie the: maryere cee ima national culture where unexamined and deeply entrenched anti-nuctearsm habitually Barades ise as high moray, the British SSoveroment has been just breve and visionary ‘enough fo enunciste admirable goas for ciean ‘energy; and just timid and shortsighted enough {0 shy anay fom ary serous precamation 33 tohowtnose goals ment reaistaly be met. 14 October 2003 Wea Estey Resin ne opening years of this century mark. future generations, tac ecining, ands wast is secie ‘managed now, and can be oer tha jong Projections by the Internatio Agency end the World Energy Counc point \unambiguously to the same conclusion: that ‘ur need for clean energy on a colossal scale cannot conceivably be met without sharply Increased use of nuclear power Those who persist in opposing nuclear ‘power in the name of environmental preserva the way for an ‘tan 20,000 ainers of spent fuel and highvevel waste have been shinoed safe over a total astance of some 30 km, During the transtor of those and other Tacioactve substances for nuclear pow, thore fas never been a harmful radioactive release. Terrorism Nuclear reactors and used fuel facilities are robust structures of heavily einforced concreteand steel that are far less wuinerable than Chemical factories. Since the World Tede Cenire attacks, computer modelling has shown that a. simiar assauit against US nuclear facilities would result in no release of ‘adionucides of public safety consequence. A similar degree of rmpregnabilty would be found at most power reactors worldwide 3 Pasa Se omrmomnare Siar eee seve ie iat sees Seas Boece Seseoneee sfiesin Tatts eee iar FESS Soe eercatice , aie ce ee Bier ean (Sees Gia Siete “See oe sone ee be gaumaetoee Soe ieee Soe neeae Soe agement: Ree ens _eEitrbuteg 60% toe pee of clr poner ec Extematceats Introduction of soundly conceived emissions nalties, whether trough trading o taxes, will the balance rom fossil fuels tonciear even ‘a8ter enabling nuclear power to dominate any Uthat imooses a real vice for environ ‘mental damage. Appivng ay realistic notion of ‘sustamabity wll mean that external costs of ab ‘nergy tecmnologes needto be brought to book ‘Glean coal. though an admrabie iniatve in Ghabling cottinued use of one of out great ‘The impact of fuel costs on electricity generation costs: iso ety 2000 » eneraton cont €/m natural resources, will almost certainly be far costier than nuclear power (see Figure 2). Waste disposal Ennronmentalists oppose nuctear energy on ‘the grounds that wastes the insoluble problem of nctear power. n uth, waste is the greatest ‘comparative asset of nuclear power because the volume istry and can be safely managed without harm to people of the enaconment, ‘Keep in mind that Kilogram of nuctear fuel is the energy equivalent of 100,000 litres of etre. 100,000 cubic meres of natural gas. © 130 tonnes of black coal. The waste rogues are the same propertion. Deep geological repostiones represent an extremely safe and feasible means of final Sisposal for nuclear wastes. Only political hurdles remain: and these are nom being ‘overcome. Nuclear power manages its tiny volume of waste safely: fossi fuels use the Dosphere as a dumpsite, Nydcity ‘Weare onthe threshold of anew er of transport ‘els that could vansfarm our word and it our prospects for a cleanenergy future. Hydrogen ‘offers a means to lore enormous quantities of ‘enexgy one step from being eecvicny, which con ‘beused on demand in transportation and the ful range of radtiontelectical uses. But tyorogen's ‘enwonmentavalue depends on making teary Using the clean pamary energy that only nlear ower can provide on avast seal. Hycrogen provides. the bridge by which uclear power can contribute to the entire spectrum of energy use. With this bridge, itis, now possible to enmsage a thrwng, large-scale. emissions fee industrial economy wth rucear ower and renewables providing clean primary energy for direct electicity and for electricity storage via hydrogen. The man whom many have dubbe the father of te Rydeogen fue ce, Geothrey Ballard, describes ths as an economy ‘operating on *hyeicity” ‘Our great need is for @ comprehensive weaty regime in whieh all nations undertake a bang, ‘commitment to use emissions Wading 2: the ‘hare econome ncentne for alongtenn olson tw agjobalciean energy scone Our falure thus far ta0es utimately tothe lack of a plausible vision 25 to how a collective commitment to. deep ‘emissions cuts might eaisicaly be filed ‘The emergence of a technologically feast ble, widely derstood cleanienergy sion could break this logiam, stimulating nations to Undertake the commitments that wil accelerate the vision’ fufment. A future n which nuclear, ower plays a central olen supporting hydnesty Will not require a radical change but only 2cceleration in curent vends, Wuclear’s expanding role -Athough nuclear energy 6 sometimes descnbed ‘2s 3cyingndusty, noting coud be furor rom the tat, For four consecutive decades nuclear ‘ower has been the fastest oming major enersy Source in the wotld: and today 33 nations. represertingtwo thirds of humanity have nuclear ower: important nations representing an adc {ional hatfilion people are planning to begin to use for the fist ume; nations representing Pall ‘of World population are building nuclear power pants, and the US nuclear industy, owners of the worlds largest nuciear fleet. plans 50% _romth over the next 20 years, "The essential issue about nuclear power 1s not whether it wll grow but now fast. Wil grow ast enough to meet the wora's urgent need for clean energy ona massive scale? Wi we futher ‘Svorgtion the gobalinfrastnctue of ecole and imsbiutions to guide and promote ts growth? “The goa ofthe World Nuclear Associaton is to promote that rate of growth and to help bul that infrastructure of people and institutions, Representing the mary companies tat compnse {the global nuclear energy industry, we share 2 {vision of labour withthe AEA ard the OECO'S Nuclear Energy Agency in the public Sector and wath WANO inthe priate sector. The combined ‘woth ofthese organisations serves to strengihen the technologies, standards, safety culture and skils associated with nuclear power and to broaden public understanding ofthis invaluable tecrnolgy. [A 2 chvlisation we face the unprecedented anger tuning the very biosphere mat nurtured ‘ur growth 2s a species and socal order. Yet we now have at hand the ols we need to VER that threat and, stead of succumbing to our own ‘excesses, to Bull an ever Songer and Mote successful cuiisation