FREAK WEATHER PATTERNS, environmental disasters and climate-modelling predictions – these are constant reminders of the global urgency to address climate change. Economically, considerations for environmental impact are necessary as there is increasing recognition that traditional carbon-based fuels are limited and essentially require nations to prepare for policies that incorporate carbon monitoring and trading systems.
For a long time, optimists in the climate change debate have leveraged the promise of nuclear technology for “clean energy” to reduce dependency on carbon fuels and minimize carbon emissions. However, the recently extended list of famous nuclear disasters that now includes Three Mile Island (1979), Chernobyl (1986), and Fukushima (2011) once again highlights the major risks involved for any nation embracing nuclear technology. Whilst on the surface appearing “clean” from carbon emissions, nuclear technology is certainly not clean from radioactive emissions, and safety issues are certainly not solved as yet.
