EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Special feature on nuclear in Commission magazine
‘Nuclear Energy – Can we do without
it?’ is the main four-page web feature in the February 2004
(No. 40) issue of the European Commission’s RTD Info Magazine
on European Research. The introduction starts off by referring
to nuclear as an “unpopular sector”, which has been
“at the centre of much controversy” over the past
two decades, following its status as “the darling”
of the burgeoning economies of the “glorious thirties”.
However, it then goes on to question the viability of an anti-nuclear
stance in the face of the global climate change problem, and this
sets the tone for a balanced article covering the major nuclear
issues.
Some of the many key points made in the article
are:
-
nuclear fission is a means of producing electricity
not only on a very large scale but also in a sustainable way
– not a single greenhouse gas molecule is emitted from
the nuclear reactions.
-
the nuclear sector now provides more than
a third of Community needs.
-
the EU has resolved to make a considerable
effort to double the use of renewable energy, targeted to
meet at least 12% of its primary supplies by 2012. Yet even
if it succeeds, this would only reduce its emissions by 200
million tonnes – leaving 350 million outstanding.
-
compared with disasters in the chemical
or transport sectors, for example, the nuclear industry can
be proud of having achieved a remarkable level of industrial
safety within the EU over many decades.
For the February 2004 issue of the European Commission’s
RTD Info Magazine on European Research, please visit:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/rtdinfo/40/index_en.html
From the above web page, the magazine is also available in pdf
format, in English, French and German.
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