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Presented by Anna Carson At the end of October 2013, more than 200 participants from 33 nations met at CERN in Switzerland. The 69 sessions covered topics on National and International Thorium Programs plus current and future designs of Thorium energy systems. Panelists are four of the 14 American participants. The United States did not present a national program.
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The World Needs Energy
Anna R. Carson, PhD
“Report from the Fourth International Thorium Energy Conference”
WorldFuture 2014, July 12, 2014
Gapminder World: CO2 emissions since 1820
Gapminder World: CO2 emissions since 1820
Gapminder World: CO2 emissions since 1820
Gapminder World: CO2 emissions since 1820
Photo credit: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/autumn-china-yellow-mist/
Cartoon courtesy Down to Earth magazine, CSE India
Energy ProductionHas Problems
It’s Not Safe
Coal combustion
emissions damage
the respiratory,
cardiovascular, and
nervous systems and
contribute to four of
the
top five leading
causes
of death in the U.S.-- Physicians for Social Responsibility (2009)
Source: “How Deadly Is Your Kilowatt?”, Forbes, 06/10/2012.
Source: http://earthquaketrack.com/p/united-states/oklahoma/recent, accessed 07/11/14.
• Between 1978 and 2008, Oklahoma experienced an average
of just two quakes of 3.0 magnitude of greater [per year].
• California has recorded about 140 3.0-magnitude quakes or greater, compared to 207 in Oklahoma.
Energy ProductionHas Problems
It’s Not Clean
Kingston coal ash disaster, Harriman, TN, December 22, 2008
Kingston coal ash disaster, Harriman, TN, December 22, 2008
Kingston coal ash disaster, Harriman, TN, December 22, 2008
One of the 15 Homes Destroyed
Source: http://ehsmanager.blogspot.com/2014/04/ moving-duke-toxic-coal-ash-ponds-would.html
Source: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=14571, accessed 06/28/14.
Energy ProductionHas Problems
It’s Not Cheap
• On a “pre-tax” basis, subsidies for petroleum products, electricity, natural gas, and coal reached $480 billion in 2011(0.7 percent of global GDP or 2 percent of total government revenues).
• On a “post-tax” basis—which also factors in the negative externalities from energy consumption—subsidies are much higher at $1.9 trillion (2ó percent of global GDP or 8 percent of total government revenues).
Available at http://www.imf.org/external/np/pp/eng/2013/012813.pdf
The World is Turning to Thorium
China
Source: http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/China-National-Nuclear-Power-Co.-Plans-2.6B-IPO.html, accessed 6/28/2014.
The World is Turning to Thorium
India
World Class Thorium Center in India
9 June, 2014India’s President Pranab Mukherjee addressed the joint session of the Lok Sabha at the Central Hall of Parliament in New Delhi today. He announced a series of programmes on a variety of issues facing the country, of which power for all by 2022 was one.
He emphasized India's five Ts: Traditions, Talents, Tourism, Trade and Technology and said the following:
My government recognises the central role of Science and Technology in raising the quality of life. It will encourage and incentivise private sector investments, both domestic and foreign, in science and technology and in high-end research aimed at nurturing innovation. My government will build world class research centres in the fields of nanotechnology, material sciences, thorium technology, brain research, stem cells.
The World is Turning to Thorium
Developing Countries
Source: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Others/Emerging-Nuclear-Energy-Countries/, accessed 6/28/2014.
The smart money is looking at investing in Thorium energy.
Thank you
Anna R. Carson, PhDThe Osler Institute &
Climate-Safe-Power.orgTerre Haute, IN
