Nuclear energy: a panacea for climate change?

Calls for a public debate about nuclear energy as part of the solution to global warming have been gaining regular coverage in the international media for the last several years. A number of politicians, business leaders and scientists tell us that the world is experiencing a 'nuclear renaissance' which none of us can afford to ignore. Proponents of nuclear argue that the grounds for scepticism about nuclear energy are no longer valid, and that technological improvements in recent years make it a viable and even a desimble option for new clectricity generating capacity. So what is the status of nuclear energy in the world at the moment? And do the arguments of its proponents stand up to scrutiny?