Learning Objective: This is a news class. At the end of the session, the participants are expected to be able to comment objectively regarding the issue being discussed.


This Global 3000 special edition focuses on the global energy economy. Will the world be able to survive without nuclear power? We show just how safe nuclear power plants really are and find out how energy is generated and used around the world. What alternatives do we have after the catastrophe in Japan?



Nuclear power plants the world over

Who is at particular risk? How many power plants are there around the world, how old and how safe are they? GLOBAL 3000 examines nuclear power facilities in earthquake-prone regions. Most Europeans think of earthquakes as disasters that happen elsewhere in the world and forget that Europe can also experience tremors.

The Belene nuclear power project in Bulgaria, for example, is very controversial. Nuclear reactors have to be able to withstand earthquakes measuring up to 8 on the Richter Scale. Like Japan, America's west coast could be hit by a severe earthquake and a tsunami, while the area surrounding North and South Korea is also vulnerable.


Discussion

Who uses new forms of energy and how?

We visit South America, Africa and Europe to profile nations that are dedicated to renewable energy sources: Brazil's hydroelectricity plants; Morocco's renewable energy projects; and the wind and solar energy plants that provide almost 40 percent of Portugal's energy needs.


Discussion

Hydroelectricity in Taiwan

The relatively small island is home to some 22 million people. Most of Taiwan's electricity is still produced by coal-generated power stations. In the next ten years Taiwan plans to obtain 10 per cent of its electricity from environmentally friendly sources. A large scale hydroelectric plant is already in operation. This was made possible by the global trade in C02 emissions.


Discussion