Nuclear power is a highly topical issue and there is widespread debate concerning future energy budgets and how to replace our dependence on fossil fuels. Here, Maxwell Irvine provides an introduction to the nature of nuclear energy, looking at the risks, the relevance of nuclear power, and the potential of nuclear fusion. Explores the most challenging question facing the world: how will we meet the global energy demand without destroying the planetary environment? Dispels some of the current myths about nuclear power and gives a balanced account of nuclear safety, cost, and nuclear waste Presents a history of the development of nuclear physics up to the emergence of the nuclear power industry Looks specifically at safety records, including accounts of the Windscale fire, the Three Mile Island incident, and the Chernobyl disaster Considers the potential of nuclear fusion for the future of energy supply Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series