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Methodological and Technological Issues in Technology Transfer


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10.2.4 Nuclear

Water-cooled and moderated nuclear fission is a power source that does not directly generate GHGs. Indirect GHG emissions do occur and are accounted for by life cycle analysis (IAEA, 1994). Nevertheless, these emissions are at least one order of magnitude lower when compared with fossil fuelled plants of the same electric capacity (Uchiyama, 1996; Taylor, 1994; Dones et al., 1994). Major reasons for the significant slowdown in construction of these plants are the huge capital investment required for the construction of the plant, the handling of nuclear fuel materials which can be used for military purposes, the large volume of radioactive materials which can cause significant social and environmental disasters if improperly handled, and issues related to nuclear waste storage (WEC, 1998). Considering the positive aspect of low GHG emission, the technology could be considered provided it can contribute to sustainable development that is advocated in Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol.


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