Considering Environmental Health Risks of Energy Options: Hydraulic Fracturing and Nuclear Power

Abstract

Growing public concerns about climate change and environmental health impacts related to energy production have led to increased consideration of alternate sources. Nuclear power and unconventional oil and shale gas development are among the options least favored by the public, with pollutant releases resulting from routine operations as well as accidents being among the key concerns. Advances in ICT approaches and the increasingly widespread accessibility of information resources and tools have facilitated community-based initiatives and broader data sharing that can directly contribute to more informed evaluations of energy options, toward more sustainable programs from the local to the global scale.