Academic Module: Nuclear Energy: Balancing Benefits and Risks
Author: Charles D. Ferguson, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Science and Technology
September 2007
This module features teaching notes by CFR fellow Charles D. Ferguson, the author of Nuclear Energy, along with other resources to supplement the text. In the report, Ferguson examines the benefits and limits of nuclear power, arguing that the United States and international partners must find effective ways to address risks if the use of nuclear energy is to be realistically expanded.
Publication and Teaching Notes
CFR.org Backgrounders
CFR Books & Reports
Foreign Affairs Articles
Additional Articles
CFR Meetings (Video, Audio, Transcripts)
Conference
Council on Foreign Relations Workshop: American Nuclear Energy in a Globalized Economy, Session I: What is the Current Status of Nuclear Energy in the United States and the World, and Where is it Headed?
Introductory Speaker:
Charles Ferguson, Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign RelationsPresider:
Matthew L. Wald, Transportation Correspondent, The New York TimesSpeakers:
Albert V. Carr Jr., Adjunct Professor, Washington and Lee University Law School, Thomas B. Cochran, Director, Nuclear Program, Natural Resources Defense Council, Christian Nadal, President, Electricite de France International North America, Inc.
This meeting is not for attribution.
Conference
Council on Foreign Relations Workshop: American Nuclear Energy in a Globalized Economy, Session II: What is the Investment Climate for Nuclear Energy?
Introductory Speaker:
Charles D. Ferguson, Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign RelationsPresider:
Margaret Ryan, Editorial Director, Coal and Global Nuclear GroupSpeakers:
Jim Harding, Harding Consulting, Mark Holt, Director, Energy and Minerals Section, Congressional Research Service, Ray Ganthner, Senior Vice President, New Plants Development, AREVA NP, James Rogers, Chairman, President, and CEO, Duke Energy Corporation
9:00-11:00 a.m. - June 15, 2007
This meeting is not for attribution.
Conference
Council on Foreign Relations Workshop: American Nuclear Energy in a Globalized Economy, Session III: Can Nuclear Energy Go Beyond the Energy Policy Act of 2005?
Introductory Speaker:
Charles Ferguson, Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign RelationsPresider:
Michael A. Levi, Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign RelationsSpeakers:
Ruth Greenspan Bell, Director, IIDEA, Resources For the Future, Angelina Howard, Vice President, Nuclear Energy Institute, Daniel Rosenblum, Co-Director, Carbon Tax Center
11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. - June 15, 2007
This meeting is not for attribution.
Symposium ⁄ Washington
A Foreign Policy Mandate? Thirty Years of Oil and Gas (Session 1)
Speakers:
David L. Goldwyn, President, Goldwyn International Strategies, J. Robinson West, Chairman, PFC EnergyPresider:
Sebastian Mallaby, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations
8:30-9:45 a.m. - Meeting
This meeting is on the record.
Listen
Symposium ⁄ Washington
The Range of the Possible: Energy Alternatives in the Market (Session 2)
Speakers:
John E. Bryson, Chairman and CEO, Edison International; cofounder, Natural Resources Defense Council, Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Correspondent, The Economist; Author of "POWER TO THE PEOPLE"Presider:
Sebastian Mallaby, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations
10:00-11:15 a.m. - Meeting
This meeting is on the record.
Listen
Symposium ⁄ Washington
What Next? Government Action and the Policy Puzzle (Session 3)
Speakers:
Brian Bilbray, Member, U.S. House of Representatives (R-CA), James E. Rogers, Chairman, President and CEO, Duke Energy, Timothy E. Wirth, President, United Nations FoundationPresider:
Sebastian Mallaby, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Meeting
This meeting is on the record.
Listen
Symposium ⁄ Washington
Energy Policy and the Search for Alternatives: Keynote Address (Session 4)
Speaker:
James E. Rogers, Chairman, President and CEO, Duke EnergyPresider:
Sebastian Mallaby, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations
12:30-1:00 p.m. - Lunch
1:00-2:00 p.m. - Meeting
This meeting is on the record.
Listen
Speaker:
Fatih Birol, Chief Economist and Head of the Economic Analysis Division, International Energy AgencyPresider:
Jad Mouawad, Energy Reporter, The New York Times
12:15-1:00 p.m. - Lunch
1:00-2:00 p.m.
This meeting is on the record.
ListenWatch
Symposium ⁄ New York
Iran's Nuclear Program Symposium: Iran's Nuclear Development and Production: A Status Report
Speakers:
Charles D. Ferguson, Fellow for Science & Technology, Council on Foreign Relations, Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow for Nonproliferation, International Institute for Strategic Studies; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary Of State for Nonproliferation, Daniel Poneman, Senior Fellow, Forum for International Policy; Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Nonproliferation and Export Controls, National Security CouncilPresider:
Carla Anne Robbins, Chief Diplomatic Correspondent, Wall Street Journal
This meeting is on the record.
ListenWatch
Symposium ⁄ New York
Iran's Nuclear Program Symposium: Iran's Motives and Strategy
Speakers:
Patrick Clawson, Deputy Director for Research, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Mahmood Sariolghalam, Professor of International Relations, School Of Economics and Political Science, National University of Iran, Karim Sadjadpour, International Crisis GroupPresider:
Deborah S. Amos, National Public Radio
This meeting is on the record.
ListenWatch
Symposium ⁄ New York
Iran's Nuclear Program Symposium: Policy Options for the United States
Speakers:
Reuel Gerecht, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Kenneth M. Pollack, Director of Research, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings InstitutionPresider:
Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations
This meeting is on the record.
ListenWatch