The Point
The reason for the sudden urge to switch to non GHG emitting fuels is due, environmentally at least, to the IPCC report proving the effects of climate change. In an ideal world, we would give up our fast-paced lifestyles, stop driving, grow our own food and be good little Humans. Unfortunately, that is never going to happen. We are too set in our ways, and too dependant on our technology to forego it.
Improving energy efficiency and making small changes which will not drastically affect our lifestyles will help, as well as merely being sensible. For example, rather than flying from London to Scotland, a bus will save both money and masses of GHG emissions. Buying an A efficiency-rated appliance rather than an E rated appliance, turning lights off when not in use, and taking public transport instead of driving will all help, and are not asking too much. These small changes add up to make large contributions to reducing GHG emissions.
The rest of the emissions will be reduced by switching to alternative fuels. Nuclear power should make up a large part of this, but it should by no means be alone. Nuclear fission is a far cry from a clean source of energy. GHGs are emitted during the mining of Uranium, building the reactor itself produces more , and some of the waste is very unpleasant. Nuclear fission is in fact a very inelegant source of power. It does however produce far more energy per unit mass of fuel than fossil fuels, and despite its emissions, still releases a much smaller volume of GHGs than fossil fuel combustion.
Nuclear fission is the only source of power which is developed enough, and which would produce enough energy reliably, to replace fossil fuels. The difference is that while nuclear fission produces a quantity of nuclear waste, the sheer volume of GHGs emitted by fossil fuels is far more dangerous to our climate.
We will get over our irrational fears, but nuclear power is surrounded by a cloud of ignorance which will take time to lift. Perhaps we need an Intergovernmental Panel on Nuclear Power before anyone is convinced. The pro- and anti-nuclear lobbyists need to find some common ground: nuclear fission would be prominent, but it would not be permanent, being only an interim solution. Debates are needed, but the state of the climate is not dependent on good intentions. It is a sobering, if not terrifying, thought that the future of the Earth's climate could depend on something as transient as a popularity contest between two warring parties.
References
The code "WG1-TS" (standing for 'Working Group 1 - Technical Summary') will be used in place of the following to save repetition: Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, R.B. Alley, T. Berntsen, N.L. Bindoff, Z. Chen, A. Chidthaisong, J.M. Gregory, G.C. Hegerl, M. Heimann, B. Hewitson, B.J. Hoskins, F. Joos, J. Jouzel, V. Kattsov, U. Lohmann, T. Matsuno, M. Molina, N. Nicholls, J. Overpeck, G. Raga, V. Ramaswamy, J. Ren, M. Rusticucci, R. Somerville, T.F. Stocker, P. Whetton, R.A. Wood and D. Wratt, 2007: Technical Summary. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
The code "WG1-SPM" (standing for 'Working Group 1 - Summary for Policy Makers') will be used in place of the following to save repetition: IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
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