Wish you all a happy and safe new year 2012.
An article in The Washington Times briefs about nuclear energy as an alternate safe power. Though, every individual sees nuclear energy in his own way, still, it appears as the future alternative after all fossil fuel resources are exhausted in the coming decades.
As an engineering student twenty five years ago, I read about the limited availability of fossil fuels and that they will last only for about twenty years. But, new finds take us to next forty to fifty years. However, the projected solar and wind power as future energy at that time are still nowhere to meet even a fraction of the energy demand. Further, pollution from fossil fuel usage is affecting all walks of life and there is a wide spread global movement for gradual reduction of emissions.
Finally when a day comes with no fossil fuels, we can't start construction of nuclear reactors at that time and keep our fingers crossed. Like water wars, there can be more energy wars in the next fifty years. Already, countries are in search of whatever energy sources available to acquire and secure their future safe. When no other alternate energy sources are availabe to meet growing demands, we have to go for nuclear energy.
Worldwide, thousands of persons work in nuclear power plants and there is not much evidence/data to say that these workers are affected. The risk levels in nuclear industry are far less than that in other industries. It appears that we accept the injuries and deaths in other industries as they occur regularly and fear about the rare events in nuclear industry.
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/21st-century-pacifist/2011/dec/28/case-safe-alternative-energy-source-nuclear-power/
Nuclear power: The case for a safe, alternative energy source
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