Sustainable Economic Development and The Necessity of Nuclear Power

Abstract

If trends from the past continue into the future, the major increase in the use of energy will come from the developing nations. If the industrialization of the Third World continues to be based on the burning of fossil fuels, the impact on the global climate from these sources alone will be substantial. Statistical information supporting above statements is presented. Conclusion is reached that improving the efficiency of energy use is not sufficient to avert climatic changes. The accelerated and worldwide use of nuclear power is essential and, if prudently used, can become, contrary to the recommendations of the Brundtland Commission, the basic energy source fuelling future sustainable developments of the world.

No Limits to Global Industrialisation with Nuclear Breeder Reactors

“…Discussion presented here supplements the analysis in [2]. Only the existing and commercially used energy technologies will be discussed.…”

“…In an earlier article [2] past and potential future industrial developments were discussed, together with some environmental impacts (greenhouse effect in particular). Here the former discussion of the physical availability of the resources needed to build an industrialised and affluent world is greatly expounded.…”

“…Is such an increase in food and overall resource consumption physically possible and sustainable? In previous articles [1,2,3] it was only briefly stated that the answer to this question was positive. Here some new statistical information is reviewed and analysed.…”

“…Will the future world be forever divided into an industrial, developed and "rich" on one side, and the primitive, undeveloped, and "poor" on the other? This question was discussed before [1,2,3] and it was concluded that the "primitive" and undeveloped world has been catching up with the developed and industrialized one, indicating that some time in the future, the whole world will be developed and affluent, if our planet is resourceful enough to support it.…”