Open Letter to National Geographic

This letter responds to an article in the Geographic, Oct. 2007, issue, which discusses fighting global warming with 14 good, diffused methods, plus the answer, Nuclear Energy.

Dear Editors: As an 80-year old, who will not be here when the horror occurs, which it surely will if nuclear does not sweep the world; I am frightened for your future. Especially when your wonderful magazine, our environmental leader, does not press nuclear energy. The other 14 strategies, in the Math of Global Warming article all depend on tens of millions, really 50-60 million US households, working feverishly to save the world. You know this will not happen until the effects are plain to see, and the biosphere is well beyond the tipping point.

I have started a blog, nuclerenergycansaveUS.blogspot.com, with my common sense view. I may make sweeping statements, and some may be simplistic, but none are as unrealistic as "In the same decade we would have to build 400,000 large wind turbines; clearly possible" (How can you say this?). I want to believe it could be true; if 400,000 started by 2040, 2.4 million could be built this century (equal to 1200--1800 nuclear plants; 12X4, or 48 million barrels oil/day, to 18 X 4, or 72MBPD//18 to 26 BBPY; near current oil use.)

If both 12--1800 nukes and 2.4 million turbines are built, civilization may squeak through, but nukes are so much easier to believe, than wind. Germany, a wind energy fan, and the sixth greatest economy on Earth, only plans 40,000, in the 2000 to 2030 period. Even cranking up from there, can you see them building 40,000 some decade, let alone 40,000 every decade. The rest of the world will be pressed to build even 100,000 per decade.

Why not feature nuclear energy, when the NRC expects 29 applications for plant licenses in the next three years, and GE, a no-nonsense company, says that they can construct a plant "from first pour of concrete to reactor critical in 36 months"? ElBaradei, IAEC, says India will increase nuclear 50-fold by mid-century; China will be building two plants per year soon. Between them, they are likely to hit 600 this century; America could easily do 100 or 200; and hundreds more will probably be build by Japan, France, Russia, Brazil, etc. I cannot compute how many of your other 14 sources, 4-600 nukes by mid-century, and 1800 or more by the end, would cover, but my guess is near half. Then all the other good ideas would work.