" the greenness of nuclear power " - Physics in Canada editorial

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@aecl.ca>]

posted at http://www.cap.ca/pic/current/editorial.htm
<snip>
much has been said recently of the greenness of nuclear power. Since 1958
nuclear power has avoided the release of 8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere and it is calculated that if nuclear power had been
replaced by fossil fuel electrical generation, there would have been an
eight percent increase in global carbon dioxide emissions. More significant
than any of the reduction targets agreed to at Kyoto is the fact that if
there were no nuclear power today and such electrical energy was instead
derived from coal, 2.6 billion additional tonnes of carbon dioxide would be
dumped into the atmosphere every year, in addition to millions of tonnes of
ash and poisonous heavy metals. It is also the case that natural gas is not
necessarily superior from the global warming point of view. Significant and
continuing leakage of two percent of the product from gas pipelines in
addition to the somewhat lower carbon dioxide emissions from gas than
coal-fired power stations indicate that the future for nuclear power should
be great once the economics of fuel manufacture are improved, the size of a
reactor core decreased, and construction times minimized by use of modern
building practices. 
<snip>
Your comments on this editorial will be welcome. 
Jasper McKee 
Editor, Physics in Canada 
mckee@physics.umanitoba.ca 
The contents of this journal, including the views expressed above, do not
necessarily represent the views or policies of the Canadian Association of
Physicists. 

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