Nuclear Power and Sustainable Development

Abstract

A central goal of sustainable development is to maintain or increase overall assets (natural, man-made, human and social) available to future generations while minimizing depletion of finite resources and without exceeding carrying capacities of ecosystems. The essence of Brundtland Report's definition of sustainable development is expanding possibilities and keeping options open, not foreclosing them for future generations. The selection of technologies to advance sustainable energy development in any given country is a sovereign choice, and each country will need a mix of technologies suited to its situation and needs. As there exists no absolute yardstick for sustainable energy development and there is no technology without risk, wastes or interaction with environment, nuclear energy's compatibility with sustainable development objectives cannot be judged in isolation but only in comparison with available alternatives. This paper will provide such comparative assessments and specifically address concerns about nuclear power, such as longevity of radioactive wastes, operating safety, weapons proliferation as well public and political acceptance. Based on concept of weak sustainability' and by applying a set of criteria for sustainable development, this paper will argue that further development of nuclear power broadens natural resource base for meeting growing global energy needs, increases technological and human capital and, when safely handled, has little impact on human health and ecosystems along full nuclear source-to-service energy chain. However, societies compare benefits and risks of technologies from menu of options available to them. As long as real benefits exceed risks of nuclear power; societies tend to accept technology. The recent renaissance of interest in nuclear power is result of changes in risks and benefits of its key alternatives. ********** Since late 1970s, nuclear power has been a particularly controversial topic. After almost two decades of great enthusiasm for benefits of technology, public began to grasp existence of other side of nuclear coin: associated risks, ranging from plant safety concerns after 1979 accident at Three Mile Island (TMI) in United States, to lack of a solution regarding disposal of high-level nuclear waste, to economics and nuclear weapons proliferation. The ensuing debates were typically centered on individual issues where no common platform or benchmark was reached. The publication in late 1980s of Our Common Future, also known as Brundtland Commission Report, provided a platform for this debate as well as a flexible definition of sustainable development, which combined limited carrying capacities of ecosystems, finiteness of resources and human development needs. The Brundtland Commission was set to address concerns about the accelerating deterioration of human environment and natural resources and consequences of that deterioration for economic and social (1) The report spawned United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. One outcome of UNCED was Agenda 21, a comprehensive action plan for sustainable development. Essentially, its chapters translate Brundtland Commission's definition into more specific policy directions. Despite fact that Agenda 21's forty chapters cover all aspects of sustainable development, almost all of which have a direct link to energy, it has no separate chapter dedicated to energy. (2) The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was established to oversee implementation of Agenda 21. Energy was specifically addressed for first time at ninth session of CSD (CSD-9) in 2001. CSD-9's decision on energy was a dedicated effort by CSD to further translate Brundtland Commission's definition of sustainable development into specific policy directions with respect to energy. …