Role of Nuclear Energy to a Low Carbon Society

Abstract

More than 10 billion tons of oil equivalent energy are consumed a year in the world in the present time and over 80 % of it is provided by fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. Many specialists, institutes, international agencies and organizations have foreseen or estimated an increase of energy consumption in future, remaining fossil fuel resources, and the period of consumption of them. On the other hand, global warming due to green house gases (GHG) emissions, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by burning of fossil fuels has become a serious issue. The IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change) opened their Fourth Assessment Report [1] to the public last year indicating that anthropogenic warming over the last three decades has likely had a discernible influence at the global scale on observed changes in many physical and biological systems. The report also describes that altered frequencies and intensities of extreme weather, together with sea level rise, are expected to have mostly adverse effects on natural and human systems. Most of the countries in the world confirmed the significance of the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC as providing the most comprehensive assessment of the science and encouraged the continuation of the science-based approach that should guide our climate protection efforts. The COP (Conference of the Parties on United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) 15 was held in December, 2009, to construct the new protocol on reduction of CO2 emission following the Kyoto protocol which was valid until 2012.The new protocol is to form agreement of reduction of CO2 emission by 2020 in each country to avoiding the most serious consequences of climate change and determined to achieve the stabilization of atmospheric concentrations of global greenhouse gases considering and adopting the goal of achieving at least 50 % reduction of global emissions by 2050. Negotiations in the COP continue in 2010. Various considerations and measures to mitigate climate change are expected in various sectors such as energy supply, transport and its infrastructure, residential and commercial buildings, industry, agriculture, forestry and waste management. Enhancement of energy utilization efficiency is one of the key issues and adoption of renewable energy such as solar and wind energies are progressing in many countries. Among them, nuclear energy is an essential instrument of energy supply to mitigate global warming from the viewpoints of stable energy supply with necessary amounts, harmonization with global environment and