by George Ivanov

Created on: January 09, 2008

Earth's climate is always changing. It has warmed up and cooled down many times in its history, far before humans even walked the Earth. The last significant episode of global warming was the end of the last Ice Age, when massive amounts of frozen water were released by rising temperatures, simultaneously opening up oceans, land, and leading to higher sea and ocean levels.

The argument that humans cause global warming alone, is not a serious one. While carbon dioxide is emitted by transportation, industry and power plants, naturally it is thrown up by forest fires, volcanos and underwater vents. We should be more concerned about the effects on the health of people from mining and burning fossil fuels, rather than what that is doing to the planet.

Nature always seeks to find an equilibrant position. If the climate changes, it is because it's entering another cycle of warming and cooling, as it has done many times in the past. That, however, will not be comprehended properly for a very long time, because the climate cycles would last hundreds, if not thousands of years, and our meteorological records are still too small and cover a very short amount of time in the geological record, to permit us to grasp the full concept.

Back on the issue of power, however, nuclear power can help offset the effects of global warming. It is an efficient power source, able to operate safely for decades, and produce electricity cheaply and reliably. Russia, has, in fact launched a project to produce floating nuclear power stations. A novel undertaking, this initiative can be employed in a variety of environments: from powering Antarctic research facilities, to desalinating water supplies in the Third World.

Nuclear energy is also very efficient. A small country can use a single nuclear power plant to meet half, if not more, of its electricity needs. An example would be the Kozloduy NPP in Bulgaria. It is a 3760 MW station, built in the 1970's, and still operating today, despite having nearly half its output slashed, because of political reasons. Still, it provides approximately 40% of the electricity needs and even produces enough power for export.

I will emphasize one reason, which is politically motivated, of why some countries, organizations and people oppose nuclear power. Economic competition in the energy sector is fierce. Thousands of people are employed in the fossil fuel industries, from the mining to power plant operations. An emphasis on nuclear power would place thousands

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