CO2 and the World Energy System: The Role of Nuclear Power

摘要

The greenhouse effect, and other transnational and global environment, health and safety issues, require energy system planning on an international scale. Consideration of equity between nations and regions, particularly between the industrialized and developing countries, is an essential ingredient. For the immediate future, the next several decades at least, fossil fuels will remain the predominant energy sources. More efficient use of energy seems to be the only feasible strategy for the near to mid-term to provide growing energy services for the world economy while moderating the increasing demand for fossil fuels. In the longer term, nonfossil sources are essential for a sustainable world energy system, and nuclear power can play an important, if not dominant, role. The challenge is to design and implement a safe and economic nuclear power world enterprise which is socially acceptable and is complimentary to other nonfossil sources. The elements of such an enterprise seem clear and include: much safer reactors, preferably passively safe, which can be developed at various scales; development of economic resource extension technologies; effective and permanent waste management strategies; and strengthened safeguards against diversion of nuclear materials to weapons. All of these elements can best be developed as cooperative international efforts. In the process, institutional improvements are equally as important as technological improvements; the two must proceed hand-in-hand. 14 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.