Megawatts and Megatons: A Turning Point in the Nuclear Age?

by Richard L. Garwin, Georges Charpak

For nearly sixty years the menace of nuclear war has hung over humanity, while at the same time the promise of nuclear energy has enticed us. In Megawatts and Megatons , two of the world’s most eminent physicists—French Nobel Prize laureate Georges Charpak and American Enrico Fermi Award–winner Richard L. Garwin—assess with consummate authority the benefits of nuclear energy and the dangers of nuclear weaponry.

Garwin and Charpak begin by elucidating the discoveries that have allowed us to manipulate nuclear energy with increasing ease. They clearly and concisely explain complex principles of fission and fusion pertaining to nuclear weaponry and the generation of nuclear electric power. They also make a strong and eloquent argument in favor of arms control. More than ten thousand nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union, together with a similar number in the United States, have the capacity to destroy the world many times over. The “nuclear club” of nations is growing, with India and Pakistan its latest members and Iran, Iraq, and North Korea striving for admission. Even the possibility of a single weapon in the hands of a terrorist group—or a lone
terrorist—poses a threat that we cannot ignore.

Meanwhile, nuclear power already provides one-sixth of all electrical energy in the world—France, for instance, derives 80% of its electricity from reactors— but nuclear power has met with great resistance in the United States, where the specter of the Three Mile Island breakdown still looms in the public’s consciousness. Garwin and Charpak take a temperate, rational tone in evaluating the benefits of nuclear energy. They show how it can provide an assured, economically feasible, and environmentally responsible supply of energy in a way that avoids the hazards of weapons proliferation.

Cogently written, passionately and carefully ar-gued—and featuring explanatory technical drawings as well as illustrations by the world-famous French cartoonist Sempé— Megawatts and Megatons is a thoughtful and important primer on two of the central issues of our time.

Genres: Science, Physics

412 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2001

About the author

Richard Lawrence Garwin was an American physicist, best known as the author of the first hydrogen bomb design.
In 1978, Garwin was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for contributing to the application of the latest scientific discoveries to innovative practical engineering applications contributing to national security and economic growth.

Reviews

[Christopher Evanchuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Megawatts and Megatons by Richard Garwin and Georges Charpak was a book about the nuclear world. The book talked about both nuclear power and nuclear weapons. It discusses the need for nuclear power in the country and how it is used in other countries. It also discussed the massive amount of nuclear weapons in the world. It talks about the need to reduce the amount in the USA and Russia.

I liked how the book broke up the endless facts with graphs, pictures, and comics. These helped display some information in a different way and made it easier to understand. I also liked that how it brought up both sides of the nuclear world. this gave two different sides of the same topic.

I didn't like the amount of straight facts in the book. It became a monotonous read. It would start to become boring quick and needed the images in order to break it up.

I recommend this book to anyone who is intersted in the nuclear world and wants to know a lot of facts.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

might disagree with some points, but this is one of the clearest books on nuclear energy I've ever read. good balance of physics and cartoons and policy and history.

[Emilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and interesting, and also, written in such a way as to be understandable to people who don't know all that much about nuclear physics.