Publicatie Laka-bibliotheek:
Secure Energy? Civil nuclear power, security and global warming (2007)
| Auteur | Oxford Research Group |
| Datum | maart 2007 |
| Classificatie | 2.05.0.00/54 (GROOT-BRITTANNIË - ALGEMEEN) |
| Voorkant | 
|
Uit de publicatie:
Executive Summary Is nuclear power dangerous? Can it help reduce CO2 emissions? The short answer to the first questions is 'very': nuclear power is uniquely dangerous when compared to other energy sources. For the second question the answer is 'not enough and not in time'. Why then, is official support for nuclear power growing? Many decision-makers in the UK and elsewhere believe that the security risks can be managed. As this report will show, such confidence is misplaced. Unless the risks a re thoroughly reviewed, we shall steer ourselves into uncharted and very dangerous waters. This report compares (a) the security consequences of civil nuclear power to (b) its contribution to reducing C02 emissions. In 2006 the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) published the results of a public consultation into energy policy, including the future of nuclear power, in a report called "The Energy Challenge" 1 According to "The Energy Challenge" the benefits of (b) outweigh the costs of (a). As far as the security risks associated with nuclear power are concerned, DTI tries to calm fears about security using the following two claims: • "the international security situation is expected to remain at current levels in the medium to long term"; and • the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) "considers that new nuclear build would be unlikely to increase risks to the UK." 2 Where is the evidence for these claims? It is not to be found in "The Energy Challenge". In 2004, the OCNS judged that: "security threats are seldom constant", 3 and in 2002 the UK Performance and Innovation Unit of the UK Cabinet Office concluded that "concerns about radioactive waste and low probability but high consequence hazards may limit or preclude its use." 4 (Emphasis added) What changed between 2004 and the publication of "The Energy Challenge"? Having reviewed the evidence, ORG concludes that a civil nuclear power renaissance would: • increase the risk of nuclear terrorism in the UK; • make efforts to control the spread of nuclear weapons much harder; • make an insignificant contribution to lowering C02 emissions; and • make a negligible contribution to energy security. In the face of uncertainty we must analyse influences on conflict and security, make judgements about future risks and implement appropriate policies. To this end the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Development, Doctrine and Concepts Centre (DDCC) published "Strategic Trends" (2003 1 2006). This reports sets out "a coherent view of how the world might develop over the next thirty years [to 2030] in ways that could alter the UK's security." The authors of this report had "access to most relevant UK intelligence. " 5
Deze publicatie is alleen op papier bij Laka beschikbaar, niet als pdf.
Publicaties zijn te leen of informeer of we een kopie kunnen maken. Soms, als we tijd hebben, lukt dat tegen kostprijs van de kopieën.