Combating global warming while enhancing the future

The world is trying to prevent the accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere from reaching a level that will produce irreversible damage to the world. The set of actions proposed here would, if pursued worldwide, accomplish that goal by mid-century. These actions can do little beyond that point to meet either the needs or aspirations of the current or growing population. It is imperative that the intellectual, political, and material resources be mustered to develop the requisite technology to carry us on after that date. Nuclear power, appropriately developed, has the potential to meet those needs. Present thermal reactors generate a threatening amount of radioactive waste that, if not disposed of, makes their extended use impractical. The development, implementation, and diffusion of fast-neutron reactors could reduce that waste to short-lived manageable amounts. Those reactors could reclaim almost all of the energy in the original uranium ore. The resulting energy could provide the power and water needed to change a suffering world to one of abundance. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.