In: Economics
Please Google "World Nucear Association--Externalities of Energy Generation" and click the first link to read the article.
Based on this, please briefly summarize some of the main externalities associated with electricity generation and use. Are the externalities real or pecuniary?
When considering policies aimed at capturing the externalities, is the goal of these policies to eliminate pollution? Explain.
External cost are those incurred in relation to health and the environment . They include the effects of air pollution and human health,crop yields and buildings and also occupational disease and accidents .The EU cost of electricity generation without these external costs averages about 4 cents/kwh. An earlier European study (1999) quantified environmental damage cost from fossil fuel electricity in EU for 1990 has US dollar 70 billion, about 1 % off GDP.
The external cost of damages , caused from sulphur dioxide , hydrogen oxide , particulate matter emissions from the burning coal were 62 billion dollar, or 3.2 cents/kwh of electricity produced from it .The externalities ofcourse lessen the pollution and there by create a balancing environmental existence