1

Niels Bohr said . . .

Therelentlessgoalofscienceisthegradual
removalofprejudice.
RichardRhodes:Byprejudice,Bohr
meantbeliefunsupportedbyevidence.

THE BIG PICTURE:

Global Energy Distribution

as indicated by nighttime electricity use

18
28

570

801

20

815

96

509

Map of
Global
Energy
Poverty

332
221

530

56
Millions of people without electricity
Millions of people relying on biomass

Millions of people to be born by 2040

Source: United Nations; McFarlane 2006

1.6 billion people have no access to

electricity, 80% of them in South Asia
and subSaharan Africa.
2.4 billion people burn biomass as their main
energy source.
3 billion more people will be born by 2040
Source: 2005 Kay Chernush for the
U.S. Department of State

3,000

1.6 Billion People Lack

Access to Electricity

Regions without electricity: 43-year lifespan.

Regions with some power: 50-year lifespan.
Fully electrified regions: 70-85-year lifespan.
Electricity from nuclear power means:
--Clean air, clean water
--Better healthcare thanks to refrigeration of
medicines, vaccines
--Better lives for women and children: education
--Stronger economies

World Energy Picture

Present Energy Distribution (Power)

World (2012)

0.5%

0%

3%

8%

0%

Gas

<0.1%

0%

5%

Coal (all types)

8%

15%

oil and
other

hydro

17%
19%

Oil

1%

gas

25%
20%

nuclear

Nuclear
Hydroelectric
Wind

coal
39%

42%

Geothermal
Biofuels

Present Energy Distribution (Transportation)

0% 5% 0%

United States
32% coal
34% gas
20% nuclear
7% hydroelectric
4% biomass 3% other

Solar

European Union
32% coal
18% gas
30% nuclear
11% hydroelectric
6% oil 3% other
Korea
43% coal
34% nuclear
17% gas
5% oil

bio

petroleum

95%

China
75% coal
11% oil
5% gas
3%
nuclear
6% hydro
<1% other

Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide

Emissions: 36 Gigatons in
2013
Latestdatapredictsupto7
rise;Indiadoublingcoal
outputby2019to1billiontonsperyear
;
o

A4Temperaturerise=40%extinctionofspecies
Icecaps,glaciers,permafrostmelting
Coastalflooding
Oceanheating,
moreacidification
Ecosystemsdying

Fossil & Renewables vs.

Nuclear Electricity
7

Worldwide, nuclear has

smallest carbon footprint,
smallest environmental
8

footprint

Nonuclearpowerplantcanexplode
atomically
NorthAmericanreactorsare
Mostlylocated30metersunderground
Mostlyanchoredinbedrock
Alwaysenclosedbymultiplelayersof
containment

10

Physical Barriers: 4-ft. thick concrete

stops radiation.

Shielding stops all rays and

particles

11

12

1 fuel pellet weighs same

as 3 pennies

Facts About Nuclear

Waste
In 50 years US has
produced about 70,000 tons
13

of spent fuel
Less than 1% of used fuel is long-lived.
Could fit inside a small studio apartment;.
All spent fuel in U.S. could fit in one big
department store..
In ONE year, Americans discard 179,000 tons of
toxic batteries mostly in landfills.

14

Big Picture on Radiation

Sources

One banana = more annual

radiation exposure than
youd get from a nuclear
plant
15

McGuire Nuclear Station, Huntersville, NC

0.01 millirem/yr

0.009 millirem/yr

16

Its Time to Cooperate

Wearecaughtinaninescapablenetworkof
mutuality,tiedinasinglegarmentof
destiny.Whateveraffectsonedirectly,
affectsallindirectly.Thisistheinterrelated
structureofallreality.
MartinLutherKing