Nuclear Power Is Not The Answer
New York, N.Y. The New Press, 2006. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xvi, 221, [3] pages. Black mark on bottom edge. Includes Acknowledgments, Introduction, Notes, and Index. Chapters include The Energetic Costs of Nuclear Power; Paying for Nuclear Energy; Nuclear Power, Radiation, and Disease; Accidental and Terrorist-Induced Nuclear Meltdowns; Yucca Mountain and the Nuclear Waste Disaster; Generation IV Nuclear Reactors; Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation; Nuclear Power and "Rogue Nations"; Renewable Energy: The Answer; and What Individuals Can Do: Energy Conservation and Efficiency. Helen Mary Caldicott (born 7 August 1938) is an Australian physician, author, and anti-nuclear advocate who has founded several associations dedicated to opposing the use of nuclear power, depleted uranium munitions, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons proliferation, and military action in general. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Caldicott became a leader in the anti-nuclear movement in the United States through her role in reviving the organization Physicians for Social Responsibility and her role along with Randall Forsberg as one of the leaders of the Nuclear Freeze Movement. She has continued to publicize her concerns, dividing her time between the United States and Australia and pontificating on nuclear energy, weapons and power, notably on the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. As Helen Caldicott expertly shows, the nuclear path is strewn with hazards from mining, milling, transport, and power generation, and leaves unsolved the issues of safety, security, and storage. In a world torn apart by wars over oil, politicians have increasingly begun to look for alternative energy sources—and their leading choice is nuclear energy. Among the myths that have been spread over the years about nuclear-powered electricity are that it does not cause global warming or pollution, that it is inexpensive, and that it is safe. Helen Caldicott’s look at the actual costs and environmental consequences of nuclear energy belies the incessant barrage of nuclear industry propaganda. Caldicott “reveals truths,” Martin Sheen has said, “that confirm we must take positive action now if we are to make a difference.” In fact, nuclear power contributes to global warming; the true cost of nuclear power is prohibitive, with taxpayers picking up most of the tab; there’s simply not enough uranium in the world to sustain nuclear power over the long term; and the potential for a catastrophic accident or a terrorist attack far outweighs any benefits. Concluding chapters detail alternative sustainable energy sources that are the key to a clean, green future. Derived from a Publishers Weekly review: Caldecott's latest antinuke book searingly debunks the claim that the impending "nuclear power renaissance," purported by some to be the only answer to global warming, is "clean and green." She covers all the bases, from the carbon emitted in the creation of nuclear power (higher than fossil fuels if the entire process from uranium mining to waste disposal is included) to the cost of nuclear plants (too high to be viable without large government subsidies) and the health risks and possibility of accidents and terrorists' access (more than we'd like to think). She also points out that, despite proponents' assurances, we still haven't found a safe place to store the waste materials for the necessary thousands of years, and that state-of-the-art nuclear plant technology is still full of unresolved problems. Caldecott's predictable alternative is to switch to wind and other benign renewables, turn down the thermostat, wear a sweater, use energy efficient lights and dry clothes on the clothesline. Detractors will complain that she is strident and incendiary, but those who believe that facts matter will want to read her frighteningly convincing argument. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Nuclear Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear power plants, Energy Policy, Radiation, Chernobyl, Electricity Generation, Greenhouse Gas, Meltdown, Nuclear Regulatory, Nuclear Weapons, Proliferation, Plutonium, Reactors, Renewable Energy, Three Mile Island
ISBN: 9781595580672
[Book #80867]
Price: $35.00