Wednesday 15 July 2009 Speaker: Bob Cywinski (School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield) Title: Can Thorium Save the Planet? Abstract: There is little doubt that both nationally and globally we are rapidly approaching an energy crisis arising from diminishing resources and over-production of CO2. Controversially, the UK and other governments are suggesting that maintaining or even increasing production of electricity by nuclear power must be an essential component of the solution to this problem. In this seminar I will briefly review the "energy crisis" and the potential role that conventional nuclear power is expected to play. I will then focus on a hitherto untapped energy resource - thorium - and show how, using some rather unconventional but achievable technologies, such as the Energy Amplifier, thorium could provide the key to safe, low waste and proliferation-resistant nuclear energy.