NUCLEAR ENERGY: AN ETHICAL USE OF RESOURCES

Energy is the lifeblood of development, but its amount is finite. It can neither be created nor destroyed; but it can be converted from one form to another. The conversion changes the state of the resources and the change generally is not reversible. Nuclear energy steadily contributes about 16 percent to global total electricity demand. Its application for electricity production is expected to increase due to dwindling natural resources, concern for greenhouse gaseous emission, and the limited capability of renewable energy and biofuels to be major energy resources. Nuclear energy, however, is plagued with ever presence public perception issues, some are real some are due to misperceptions. The trio of accidents: Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and most recently, Fukushima, however has slightly dampened the prospect. Nuclear energy makes use of uranium, an element that has no peaceful applications other than to be used in nuclear power reactors to generate heat or neutrons, produce steam, and drive turbo-generators for electricity production. Other resources, such as oil, coal, and gas have multiplicity of uses that cannot be substituted by uranium. On that premise, this paper argues that the use of nuclear energy is an ethical choice. This choice overrides considerations, such as waste, complexity, and safety that are often projected as reasons for avoiding it altogether. Those considerations are of scientific and engineering dimensions that mankind has to wrestle and overcome as the khalifah. In so doing, proper education and ethical use of knowledge become imperative.