Publication Laka-library:
The economics of nuclear power (Summary) (2007)
| Author | Greenpeace, S.Thomas, P.Bradford, Antony Froggatt, D.Milborrow |
| Date | November 2007 |
| Classification | 6.01.0.10/78 (COSTS) |
| Front | 
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From the publication:
Summary of the economics of nuclear power The climate change imperative demands a fundamental change in the way we all produce, consume and distribute energy. Global emissions of greenhouse gases need to be halved by 2050 in order to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. Investment decisions which the electricity sector is making today have repercussions for the period 2020 to 2050 and determine whether the world remains locked in to its current course or achieves the emission cuts which are essential. The nuclear industry would have us believe that it is part of the solution to climate change. Doubling existing nuclear capacity by 2030 would require hundreds of new reactors. But this would cost nearly a trillion dollars of investment and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by no more than a few per cent. A major expansion of nuclear capacity would create additional global hazards. Nuclear power entails substantial risks for the environment and human health, generates a long-lasting burden of nuclear waste and increases the threat of international nuclear proliferation. The nuclear industry argues that nuclear power is relatively cheap. To examine this assertion, Greenpeace commissioned independent experts to assess the economic realities of nuclear energy. Their report, "The Economics of Nuclear Power" (1), revealed that nuclear power is an economic risk ultimately borne by the government and taxpayer. In sharp contrast, given the right policy framework, the renewable energy industry can quickly become an economically viable market player, independent of government funding. Nuclear power undermines real, clean energy solutions to climate change by diverting urgently needed resources away from renewable technologies and measures to improve energy efficiency. The following is a summary of those findings and contains additional information from a recent report published jointly by the European Renewable Energy Council and Greenpeace report and entitled, "Future Investment; A sustainable investment plan for the power sector to save the climate" (2).
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