Nuclear power in the context of global warming
At a time when the true relevance of nuclear power is being questioned increasingly around the world due to the concerns on safety, security and economics, a news item from the Associated Press indicates that f our scientists who have played a key role in alerting the public to the dangers of climate change have asked environmentalists to support the development of safer nuclear power as one way to cut fossil fuel pollution. Such a letter is signed by Kenneth Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution, Kerry Emanuel at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, James E. Hansen of Columbia University and Tom Wigley of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Adelaide ( http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/to-those-influencing-environmental-policy-but-opposed-to-nuclear-power/?_r=0#more-50930 ) Two major fallacies seem to have been associated with nuclear power's projected role in containing the global warming phenomenon. One such fallacy is that the huge number of nuclear power reactors required in place of the fossil fuel power plants to have considerable impact on global warming phenomenon can be commissioned in the short time frame identified to contain the GHG emissions. The other fallacy is that addressing the energy sector's GHG contribution alone will be able to mitigate the impacts of global warming. Source: http://www.countercurrents.org/ssharma291113.htm