Is Nuclear Energy, the way to save the world from its dependence on oil?

Oil prices are peaking due to the Iranian crisis and to the political instability in countries such as Venezuela and Nigeria. It is possible that in spite of the reasonable fear and reluctance that there is about using nuclear energy that it might be the only and most cost-effective way that is available now for countries such as the United States, which are to used the words of President, "addicted to oil."  Patrick Moore, the Co-founder of GreenPeace argue for nuclear energy by stating that "the 103 nuclear plants operating in the United States effectively avoid the release of 700 million tons of CO2emissions annually -- the equivalent of the exhaust from more than 100 million automobiles. Imagine if the ratio of coal to nuclear were reversed so that only 20 percent of our electricity was generated from coal and 60 percent from nuclear. This would go a long way toward cleaning the air and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Every responsible environmentalist should support a move in that direction." I am reluctant to agree with him because the facts that he gives in his article in the Washington Post does not calm my fears, but I wonder if he is right, if nuclear energy is the way to go to green and to save the environment.

Comments

[James Aach]

FYI: Stewart Brand, the founder of "The Whole Earth Catalog" mentioned in Mr. Moore's article in the Washington Post (to which you have linked), has also endorsed my thriller novel of nuclear power as a way for the lay person to learn the good and the bad of this energy source - and there's plenty of both. Perhaps my book will help you put your fears within a broader context.

"Rad Decision" is available online at no cost to readers at http://RadDecision.blogspot.com - - and they seem to like it, judging from the reviews they're leaving at the homepage. There's nothing else like it out there.

Regards,

James Aach
20+ years in the nuclear industry.

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