Includes bibliographical references and index.

Chapter 1: Nuclear power around the world -- 1. In Japan, trust has been lost / Tatsujiro Suzuki -- 2. In Iraq, nuclear weapons have a dangerous history / Nuclear Threat Initiative -- 3. In North Korea, nuclear weapons are the key to security / Zack Beauchamp -- 4. In Iran, nuclear ambitions are cause for international concern / David Albright and Andrea Stricker -- 5. Why we should pursue nuclear power / Ernest Moniz -- 6. The drawbacks of nuclear power / Mark Diesendorf -- Chapter 2: Exploring the politics of nuclear energy -- 1. History and creation of nuclear energy / Energy Future -- 2. In Japan, a troubled nuclear legacy / Peter Kuznick -- 3. Flaws in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) / Linda Gunter -- 4. Disparity between Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Nations Impedes NPT / Lawrence Wittner -- 5. The comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: then and now / Mary Beth Nikitin -- Chapter 3: Nuclear safety and security: critical issues -- 1. Nuclear power plants are vulnerable targets / Karl Grossman -- 2. Nuclear power provides safe, reliable, and clean energy / Thomas J. Eiden -- 3. In Japan, Fukushima provided nuclear power to be safer than people thought / Kelvin Kemm -- 4. In Japan, nuclear opponents exploit Fukushima accident in spite of evidence / Willem Post -- 5. Studies underestimate the risks of nuclear power / Jan Beranek -- Chapter 4: Is nuclear power a viable option for the future? -- 1. Nuclear and renewable energy provide clean electricity -- 2. In Malaysia, a warning about the many disadvantages nuclear power has / Ronald McCoy -- 3. Today's nuclear plants are safer than before, thanks to disasters in Ukraine and the United States / Jack Spencer and Nicolas Loris -- 4. In the United States, risk must be balanced with consquences when considering nuclear energy / Gary Was -- 5. Nuclear power's economics and climate benefits do not justify public health risks / Peter Karamoskos -- 6. Nuclear power is not a viable energy source / Greenpeace International -- Periodical and internet sources bibliography -- For further discussions -- Organizations to contact.

In an era defined by anxiety over global warming and the search for alternative fuel sources, nuclear power is rarely part of the conversation. It promises limitless power and a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Yet, it is by no means perfectly safe or clean, as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima remind us. Even so, thirty countries are operating 444 reactors, accounting for almost 11 percent of the world s electricity production. The debate over nuclear energy is a fierce and emotional one, and arguments, agendas, assumptions, and factual information must be scrutinized meticulously and carefully. This volume allows readers to do just that as they begin to form their own opinions on the viability of nuclear power. Bibliography, Detailed Table of Contents, Further Information Section, Index, Maps, Primary Sources, Sidebars, Websites.

Grade 9 to 12.

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