Reaction Time: Climate Change and the Nuclear Option is a book by Professor Ian Lowe which was officially launched by science broadcaster Robyn Williams at the Brisbane Writers' Festival on 15 September 2007. The book is about energy policy and Lowe explains that nuclear power does not make sense on any level: economically, environmentally, politically or socially.

Themes

Ian Lowe, AO, explains that energy is essential for civilised living, yet the current approach of basing our energy-intensive lifestyle on fossil fuels is unsustainable. We need to make fundamental changes if our society is to survive. But "the nuclear option does not make sense on any level: economically, environmentally, politically or socially. It is too costly, too dangerous, too slow and has too small an impact on global warming." That is why many developed countries are rejecting nuclear power in favour of renewable energy and improved energy efficiency.

Quote

"Promoting nuclear power as the solution to climate change is like advocating smoking as a cure for obesity. That is, taking up the nuclear option will make it much more difficult to move to the sort of sustainable, ecologically healthy future that should be our goal.

The author

Professor Lowe is one of Australia's leading commentators on science and the environment and is the Emeritus professor of Science, Technology and Society at Griffith University and the President of the Australian Conservation Foundation.

See also

• A Big Fix
• Anti-nuclear movement in Australia
• Chernobyl disaster
• Three Mile Island accident
• Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy
• List of books about nuclear issues
• Living in the Hothouse
• Nuclear or Not?
• Nuclear-Free Future Award
• Photovoltaic power stations
• Renewable energy commercialization
• Sustainable development
• The Clean Tech Revolution

References

External links

• Is nuclear the answer?
• Quarterly Essay