Public apprehension about nuclear power has contributed to the virtual halt in licensing and construction of nuclear reactors while continued reliance on coal-fired power plants has raised concern about the occupational safety of workers and the risks posed by increasing air pollution. The authors of this volume examine occupational, public health, and environmental risks of the coal fuel cycle, the nuclear fuel cycle, and unconventional energy technologies. They also explore in detail the relationship between energy economics and risk analysis, assess the problems of applying traditional cost-benefit analysis to long-term environmental problems (such as global carbon dioxide levels), and consider questions about the public's perception and acceptance of risk. The book includes an examination of the global risks associated with current and proposed levels of energy production and consumption from all major sources. Perhaps the most uncertain of the risks associated with energy technologies, these global risks are also among the most important; they affect relationships among nations and may thus have a direct impact on the probability of war.
