1. Development prospects for nuclear energy

Energy is a key factor in economic, social and health development. By 2050, the world's population is likely to have risen to 9 billion, and energy consumption is set to double to at least 20 Gtoe/year, assuming modest growth in demand (figure 1 ).

The major question at the start of the 21st century is therefore how to satisfy this demand without massively increasing greenhouse gas emissions, which are potentially responsible for unpredictable, irreversible and...