It seems like lately I have been a bit hung up on the global warming/nuclear power issue. Although I really don't like the concept of nuclear power, especially given the nuclear waste and chances for a nuclear disaster, I have been asking myself whether this is really the only way to supply large-scale power and avert climate change. I am not convinced that this is true, particularly given that nuclear power plants often are delayed in construction and overrun on cost. Yet, there is the potential as a recent article in the Economist notes ("The ghostly flickers of a new dawn"), for countries such as Australia to take advantage of uranium supplies and produce nuclear power on a large scale. In fact, Australia has 38% of the world's uranium reserves, yet has never produced nuclear power. Even its global warming-skeptic prime minister, John Howard, feels that Australia should have up to 25 reactors by 2050. Perhaps before delving into nuclear power full force, Australia should consider what other countries are now insisting upon--reactors that are said to "need no human or mechanical intervention to close after a fault." In addition, nations such as Finland are demanding reactors that can withstand a plane crash. If nations like the U.S. and Australia are going to get serious about using nuclear power, they had better consider how they are going to keep their citizens safe from human error and terrorism, an unfortunate reality in this day and age. There is probably no way to guarantee a nuclear reactor will be foolproof against leaks or explosions due to human mistakes or sabotage, yet this consideration has to come into the equation. These measures will likely add considerable cost to the already expensive nuclear reactor building process. We need to stop global warming, yet we still need to consider whether nuclear power can achieve this without exposing people to huge radiation risks and health problems due to storage of nuclear waste. In other words, we need quick action to avert climate change, yet we still need to think through whether nuclear power is the best way to achieve this goal.