- Easy to navigate, accessible Q&A format is ideal for
an introduction to the subject of nuclear energy.
- In a clear, engaging style, the book provides a
comprehensive survey of this controversial topic.
- Readily accessible and suitable to readers with various
levels of background knowledge on the topic.
- Includes updated information on the nuclear crisis in
Japan.
Originally perceived as a cheap and plentiful source of power, the commercial use of
nuclear energy has been controversial for decades. Worries about the dangers that nuclear
plants and their radioactive waste posed to nearby communities grew over time, and plant
construction in the United States virtually died after the early 1980s. The 1986 disaster
at Chernobyl only reinforced nuclear power's negative image. Recent years have seen a
marked change, however. The alarming acceleration of global warming due to the burning of
fossil fuels and concern about dependence on foreign fuel has led policymakers, climate
scientists, and energy experts to look once again at nuclear power as a source of energy.
In this accessible overview, Charles D. Ferguson provides an authoritative
account of the key facts about nuclear energy.
What is the origin of nuclear energy? What countries use commercial nuclear
power, and how much electricity do they obtain from it? How can future nuclear power
plants be made safer? What can countries do to protect their nuclear facilities from
military attacks? How hazardous is radioactive waste? Is nuclear energy a renewable energy
source? Ferguson addresses these questions and more in a book that is essential for anyone
looking to learn more about this important issue.
Readership: General readers and scholars interested in nuclear energy,
international affairs, politics, sustainable energy, nuclear proliferation, and
environmental studies.
Charles D. Ferguson is President of the Federation of American Scientists and an
Adjunct Professor in Georgetown University's Security Studies Program. Trained as a
physicist and nuclear engineer, he has worked on nuclear policy issues at the U.S.
Department of State and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
What is energy, and what is power?
Is most energy that people use derived from nuclear energy?
What is the origin of nuclear energy?
What is radioactivity?
Why is ionizing radiation a health concern?
What is radioactive half-life, and how can knowing it help increase countries'
security?
How much more energetic is nuclear energy compared to chemical energy?
Why has it been so difficult to commercialize nuclear fusion?
How was nuclear fission discovered?
What role, if any, did Albert Einstein play in the discovery of nuclear energy?
What is a fission chain reaction?
What is uranium, where did it come from, and how was it discovered?
What is plutonium, how was it discovered, and how hazardous is it?
Why can't nuclear reactors explode like a nuclear bomb?
What is the nuclear fuel cycle?
Why are certain activities in the nuclear fuel cycle called
<"dual-use>"?
What are the various uranium enrichment methods?
What are the nuclear
232 pages, Paperback