ABSTRACT
Throughout this book we have followed radiation, radioactivity and nuclear energy on the cosmological scale, from primordial radiation, the early appearance of elementary particles and earliest nucleosyntheses, to interstellar and interplanetary events on our early planet and the present-day Earth. This chapter deals with some perspectives.
How far into the future we can go depends on cosmic nuclear events: the end will come most likely about 5000 million years from now, when the nuclear processes that release energy in the Sun cease because of depletion of fuel in our star’s core. Cosmic ray showers from a supernova explosion present a potential but rather remote danger for our planet and its biosphere.
How far into the future it is meaningful to go depends on various terrestrial nuclear events. One of particular importance is the use of the huge arsenal of nuclear weapons. Any widespread use would entail both severe radiation-induced damage and climatological changes with disastrous consequences for civilization, if not for the very existence of the human species and for the basic conditions which support life on our planet.
Fortunately, not all perspectives are necessarily somber. Nuclear power may provide a possible solution for the energy supply of an increasing world population, at least until satisfactory advances in environmentally cleaner energy sources are made.
Energy production based on nuclear fission is a reality. Its near future depends strongly on success in developing inherently safe nuclear reactors.
Controlled nuclear fusion could conceivably provide reasonably “clean” energy from a practically unlimited fuel supply. However, despite present spectacular achievements in laboratories, it would be a formidable task to produce a device which would maintain stellar temperatures long enough to produce electricity, especially on an industrial scale. For a satisfactory solution in a not too distant future, international cooperation is essential. Encouraging prospects are already in view.
Life on the Earth has developed since its beginning in the presence of ionizing radiation, but the nuclear age has brought the risks of accidental irradiations of large populations and dose levels which could be far higher than natural ones. Various coordinated international efforts to reduce the risks have been made following the Chernobyl accident, and some of the important goals include a global radiation monitoring system and international control of the radioactivity released into the environment.
