Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer

by Helen Caldicott

Overview

The world-renowned antinuclear activist's "expertly argued" (The Guardian) case against nuclear energy

In a world torn apart by wars over oil, politicians have increasingly begun to look for alternative energy sources—and their leading choice is nuclear energy. Among the myths that have been spread over the years about nuclear-powered electricity are that it does not cause global warming or pollution, that it is inexpensive, and that it is safe.

Helen Caldicott's look at the actual costs and environmental consequences of nuclear energy belies the incessant barrage of nuclear industry propaganda. Caldicott "reveals truths," Martin Sheen has said, "that confirm we must take positive action now if we are to make a difference." In fact, nuclear power contributes to global warming; the true cost of nuclear power is prohibitive, with taxpayers picking up most of the tab; there's simply not enough uranium in the world to sustain nuclear power over the long term; and the potential for a catastrophic accident or a terrorist attack far outweighs any benefits. Concluding chapters detail alternative sustainable energy sources that are the key to a clean, green future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595582133
Publisher:	New Press, The
Publication date:	09/01/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

The world's leading spokesperson for the antinuclear movement, Dr. Helen Caldicott is the co-founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, and the 2003 winner of the Lannan Prize for Cultural Freedom. Both the Smithsonian Institute and Ladies' Home Journal have named her one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. In 2001 she founded the Nuclear Policy Research Institute, which later became Beyond Nuclear, in Washington, D.C. The author of The New Nuclear Danger, War in Heaven (with Craig Eisendrath), Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer, and Loving This Planet and the editor of Crisis Without End and Sleepwalking to Armageddon (all published by The New Press), she is currently president of the Helen Caldicott Foundation/NuclearFreePlanet.org. She divides her time between Australia and the United States.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     vi
Introduction     vii
The Energetic Costs of Nuclear Power     3
Paying for Nuclear Energy     19
Nuclear Power, Radiation, and Disease     39
Accidental and Terrorist-Induced Nuclear Meltdowns     81
Yucca Mountain and the Nuclear Waste Disaster     107
Generation IV Nuclear Reactors     115
Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation     131
Nuclear Power and "Rogue Nations"     141
Renewable Energy: The Answer     161
What Individuals Can Do: Energy Conservation and Efficiency     175
Notes     185
Index     211

Editorial Reviews

Renowned physician and activist Caldicott presents exhaustive evidence to refute the now resurgent claim that nuclear power is the solution to global warming.”—Booklist

“As Helen Caldicott expertly shows, the nuclear path is strewn with hazards from mining, milling, transport, and power generation, and leaves unsolved the issues of safety, security, and storage.”—Paul R. Epstein, M.D., M.P.H. Center for Health and The Global Environment, Havard Medical School

From the Publisher