"Nuclear Energy Now" is an excellent book about the present status of nuclear power. Its starting point is the realization that increasing amounts of carbon dioxide emissions are causing global warming and climate change. Combustion of fossil fuels is producing this chemically very stable and optically active gas. There seems to be only one effective way to stop its accumulation in the atmosphere; we must stop all fossil fuel combustion!

The industrial revolution of the last two centuries has made many nations and its citizens very prosperous. The ready availability of huge amounts of inexpensive energy facilitated this burst of industrial activity. World economies have become utterly dependent on the unlimited supply of electricity, heating gases, and transportation fuels.

"Nuclear Energy Now" shows that it is possible to build nuclear plants that can in due time replace all fossil fuel fired electric power plants. Nuclear energy cannot only replace fossil fuels in this energy sector. Nuclear fuel costs and nuclear plant costs are low enough to produce electricity at very competitive prices.

However, nuclear power has a major image problem. The public does not understand the technology, is deadly afraid of nuclear radiation, does not believe that nuclear reactors are safe, and fears that the proliferation of nuclear power across the world will create security problems.

The authors try to dispel these concerns. They make the point that the US has an outstanding safety record and that not a single person has ever been killed in an accident. They also point to France, which is producing close to 80% of its electricity from nuclear fuels. They ascertain that nuclear power plants do not emit greenhouse gases or radioactive substances and are safe.

Nuclear energy is the only viable option for replacing fossil fuels for electric power generation. Solar power, wind power, and other renewable energies can only replace a fraction of the electric power, which we need to keep our economies healthy.

Replacing petroleum for powering the world's transportation systems may be an even more challenging problem than electricity generation and is even more critical for the functioning of the world's economies.

The two authors, Alan M. Herbst and George W. Hopley have written an outstanding text that spells out the unique promises and the continuing problems of nuclear power.

In the end, the reader is left with a choice. Are the safety measures and security provisions described by the authors acceptable or are they still found wanting.

We need alternate ways to produce electric power urgently. Renewable energies cannot contribute enough power soon enough. Nuclear power seems our only hope. One question keeps lingering; can more be done to eliminate remaining safety and security concerns?

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