GLOBAL CLIMATE DEBATE

*** Power to the People ***

We cannot continue to improve the condition of people throughout the word without use of nuclear power. None of the renewable energy solutions can be scaled quickly enough to meet current and future energy needs. Alternative Energy solutions are energy experiments for the wealthy developed world that are just too expensive for the requirements of the developing world. Safer, proliferation resistant, nuclear power without the long term high level waste storage problems is needed to power a growing world economy and to allow all nations to provide for and feed their growing populations in peace. These goals are available by changing the nuclear fuel cycle to a Uranium-233/Thorium fuel cycle.

Much of the quality of life that American's enjoy comes from their ready access to inexpensive energy. Current energy policy favors improving efficiency and encouraging conservation as its first tenant. Approximately 1 billion out of the world's 6.6 billion people have no regular access to electricity. A significant part of the planet is just energy starved and to preach conservation and efficiency to them is largely to miss the point.

We should make an effort to push all non-GHG generating energy segments including the largest and most scalable, nuclear, and innovate to add capacity and just relentlessly drive down the cost of energy while expanding the access for all to abundant cheap energy.

Uncommercialized Thorium fueled Molten Salt Reactors pioneered by Oak Ridge National Laboratory can produce power at a cost per kilowatt less than coal. Dr. Ralph Moir, of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, shares a careful calculation proving this fact in the following paper:

Cost of electricity from Molten Salt Reactors (MSR), Moir, Nuclear Technology 138 93-95 (2002)
http://www.geocities.com/rmoir2003/coe_10_2_2001.pdf