During the industrial age, mankind has relied primarily on fossil fuels to sustain his energy requirements. Oil, gas and coal have thus far provided us with the energy he has required to provide heat, light and energy for the demands of industrialisation.
But demand for energy has never been so high, and usage shows no signs of slowing or stabilising. More people around the world are gaining access to electricity. In per capita energy consumption, India and China are quickly gaining on Europe and America. Global population growth is accelerating, and this is adding to the continuing rise in global energy requirements.
The true impact of fossil fuel consumption on the earth’s biosphere is only now being recognised. The effects of large scale carbon emissions into the atmosphere have led governments to urgently seek ways of providing energy without producing high emissions of greenhouse gases.
This urgency is compounded by the uncertainty of fossil fuel supply in the medium term. While significant reserves of oil, gas and coal do still exist across the globe, experts recognise that these supplies are far from limitless, and that one day they will run out.
Energy with low environmental impact
The need to augment and replace fossil fuels with alternate sources of energy has become an absolute necessity. Attention has switched to the hunt for potential energy sources with the virtues of mass availability, sustainability and low environmental impact.
Renewable energy sources are one feasible option. These sources include hydro electric energy, and other ‘green’ sources such as wind and wave power, biomass fuels and solar energy. These sources provide ‘clean’ energy which is also sustainable. However, the sheer size of the energy requirement is such that these technologies require a significant technological leap forward if they are to become major contributors to global energy supply.
Nuclear power is another energy source with the potential to replace significant fossil fuel consumption. While the safe long term disposal of nuclear waste is undoubtedly a critical challenge that remains for the nuclear industry, nuclear energy has the potential to provide electricity on a massive scale without producing carbon emissions to the atmosphere.
An energy mix for sustainable development
Nuclear power also has the advantage that its technology platform is already well developed. It is over half a century since man first began using nuclear energy, and during that time, very significant investment in the development of nuclear technology has delivered an industry capable of delivering safe and secure energy without significant environmental impact.
In addition to an established technology platform, the nuclear power industry is also safeguarded by global controls over the security of technology and materials. Most importantly, it is an industry that can now be implemented on a scale to significantly alter the shift of our energy reliance on fossil fuels.
Contrary to the views of some detractors, nuclear and ‘green’ energy supplies can and should co-exist as part of a cohesive strategy to mitigate our reliance on fossil fuels and thereby cut global emissions of greenhouse gases.
With mankind facing the need for a rapid transformation to ‘clean’ energy, Enrichment Technology believes that nuclear power is now indispensable to global sustainable development. Fossil fuels will not be completely replaced - but the swift adoption of a mix of energy sources, including green energy, nuclear power and fossil fuel consumption is the clearest, most achievable strategy for delivering global sustainable development.
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