[Text] December 2004 | Number 72 | REVIEW
[Image] “...the generation of electric power from fissionable material will remain a very attractive option in the future energy mix, given the high rate of growth in demand for electricity in developing nations, and the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change.”.
[Text] Worldwide, if existing nuclear power plants were shut down and replaced with a mix of non nuclear sources proportionate to what now exists, the result would be an increase of 600 million tonnes of carbon a year, about twice the total amount estimated to be avoided by implementation of the Kyoto Protocol in 2010...
[Image] Drums of uranium oxide in the packing plant at the Ranger mine in Australia.
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Hugh Leggatt is senior communications adviser with Rio Tinto. Sources of information for this article included: “Nuclear power: A look at the future” (June 2004) by Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, director general, International Atomic Energy Agency; and “The Global Nuclear Fuel Market: Supply and demand 2003-2025” published by The World Nuclear Association, London”.
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