CAN NUCLEAR ENERGY HELP?
Predictions of the warming due to the greenhouse effect are fraught with difficulty and uncertainty. The role that nuclear fission can play in reducing carbon dioxide is much easier to define. Carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning contributes about one half of the global warming attributed to mans activities. An additional fraction is due to other gases which are associated with combustion[18] such as nitrous oxides. Nuclear fission can thus directly help reduce warming by serving as a replacement for fossil fuels. This ability could become even more significant if the “developing” countries expand their economic activities in a way which leads to per capita energy consumption approaching that of the “developed” countries. This scenario would lead to vastly increased fossil fuel use and potential for greenhouse warming if alternatives are not adopted. The world uses nearly incomprehensible amounts of energy for electricity, heating, transportation and chemical processes. In order to
