| At your service, and independent from any | | | | complements 'Megawatts & Megatons' very |
| publisher or author, this article lists 10 books on | | | | well through its indepth overview of new nuclear |
| energy & environment - not a top 10 list, but | | | | technology, concluding that, on balance, 'it would |
| certainly containing some good candidates: 3 | | | | seem prudent for the developed world to |
| books on the role of carbon energy (1-3), 3 | | | | maintain a civil nuclear power industry on at least |
| books on nuclear (4-6), 3 books on horizontal | | | | its current scale.' |
| aspects (7-9) and concluding with last year's book | | | | 6. 'Double or Quits' argues for the nuclear industry |
| on the ethical dimension of Kyoto (which proves | | | | and governments to take action to ensure that |
| interesting, once you can bring yourself to read | | | | nuclear power remains available as a practical |
| beyond its title): | | | | option. Such action needs to take place on 5 |
| | | | fronts: public perception, economics, waste |
| 1. In 'Sustainable Fossil Fuels', Mark Jaccard doubts | | | | (including reprocessing and proliferation), safety |
| our prospects for moving away quickly from | | | | and research & development. |
| carbon fuels to renewable energy sources, and | | | | 7. 'The Skeptical Environmentalist' uses a wealth |
| expects an energy system largely dominated by | | | | of long-term trend data to demonstrate that the |
| fossil fuels for the 21st century. This however | | | | world has never been in better shape, while |
| does not need to be incompatible with a | | | | recognising that there are problems with global |
| sustainable energy system. | | | | warming, the ozone layer, the loss of rain forests, |
| 2. In 'Energy at the Crossroads', Vaclav Smil | | | | ... As the rare optimistic book on environment, it |
| summarizes a lifetime of energy studies. The | | | | warns against the very selective use of data to |
| result is a highly accessible book, yet rich in | | | | construct environmental claims. |
| argument. In the future energy system, not a | | | | 8. In 'Factor Four', the authors have written an |
| single solution will work by itself, and the 'a priori' | | | | excellent discussion document and manifesto for |
| exclusion of certain options is counterproductive. | | | | action, harnessing market forces for change to |
| The path to carbon-free energy is going to take | | | | increase resource productivity, a simple but |
| most of the 21st century. | | | | appealing idea that can expect a large consensus. |
| 3. In 'Why Carbon Fuels Will Dominate The 21st | | | | 9. 'Power to the People' provides a fresco of |
| Century's Global Energy Economy', Peter Odell | | | | what currently lives in the energy sector. Talking |
| opens with a sentence that realism about our | | | | to the who's who in energy, the author concludes |
| energy system is a commodity in scarce supply | | | | that the forces of liberalisation, increasing |
| and describes a 100-year scenario where we will | | | | environmental conscienceness and new technology |
| use 3 times more carbon fuel in the 21st century | | | | are all converging towards a micro-power |
| than in the 20th. | | | | revolution. Not surprisingly with this message, the |
| 4. In 'Megawatts & Megatons', Richard | | | | book is not too kind on big oil, coal and electricity. |
| Garwin and Georges Charpak give a | | | | 10. Finally, 'Reading the Kyoto Protocol - Ethical |
| comprehensive overview of nuclear technology, | | | | Aspects of the Convention on Climate Change' |
| covering both its civilian and military use. The | | | | leaves the straightjacket of what is politically |
| opening sentence "If it is to benefit humanity, | | | | achievable within the time horizon of a regulatory |
| concern for our planet and the future of our | | | | mandate, and refreshingly thinks out of the box, |
| civilization needs to be matched with an | | | | but it is not a theoretical book. And you don't |
| understanding of the facts." defines the book's | | | | have to agree with it - as the authors happily |
| credo. | | | | don't with each other. |
| 5. While unrelated, 'Nuclear Renaissance' | | | | |