Renowned economist William Nordhaus has developed many innovative approaches for analyzing complex environmental questions. He applies them here to the possible phaseout of nuclear power in Sweden, and the book is a major contribution to that debate. Its value extends beyond that issue, however, to the careful consideration of environmental and energy questions that industrialized nations and developing regions now face. In Sweden, a 1980 advisory referendum called for phasing out nuclear power. Parliament declared that existing nuclear reactors should be phased out by 2010. Numerous developments since 1980technological, environmental, economic, and politicalnecessitate a fresh look at the referendum. Should the Swedes reconsider the phaseout in light of new information or circumstances? Nordhaus discusses and models the impact of new factors such as possible deregulation of electricity generation, efforts to address global climate change, and the decline of Sweden's economic growth and the rethinking of its welfare state. What are the costs and benefits to eliminating nuclear power? What are the economic ramifications of various energy and environmental options? Is a phaseout the most prudent approach? The Swedish Nuclear Dilemma casts these important questions in a new light, and it sets the stage for more informed analysis of similarly difficult issues.
