Why Nuclear Energy is Good
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When we consider nuclear energy, we remember how bad nuclear disasters have been, and we think of all those terrible nuclear weapons It’s easy to see why so many are opposed to nuclear energy. But in the midst of our climate crisis, nuclear is one of the best and the safest green energy sources we have available.
But how can it be so safe?
Well, here’s an interesting fact: among major energy sources, nuclear is the one that releases the least amount of radiation into the environment. Of course nuclear leaves behind toxic nuclear waste, but that’s managed and stored in a safe place instead of being released into the atmosphere. Coal power plants, on the other hand, release smoke with trace amounts of radioactive elements like uranium and thorium that are naturally present in coal.
In reality, the unfavorable views toward nuclear power are quite new. Back in the 1950s, when nuclear weapons already existed, the public was extremely favorable towards nuclear power. One could argue that it was the nuclear disasters that brought nuclear power such bad press.
But yeah, what about those nuclear disasters? Aren’t they terrible? Aren’t they so bad we shouldn’t ever consider even building another nuclear reactor?
Well, not exactly. While a meltdown is very serious, nuclear reactors have so many safety protocols that melting down is extremely unlikely. Statistically, nuclear energy is responsible for fewer deaths per TWh produced than any other source — including solar.
Our grim view of nuclear energy can be somewhat attributed to government and media responses to past nuclear accidents. Instead of following the experts and trying to keep the situation calm and let citizens carry on, governments responded to nuclear disasters with panic and unnecessary evacuations. This has made the media come down hard on atomic energy.
Another concern held by many people is that nuclear power facilitates nuclear proliferation.
Currently, 31 countries have nuclear power plants, but only nine have nuclear weapons. Initiatives like the Megatons to Megawatts program — a joint operation was undertaken by Russia and the United States to make nuclear reactor fuel using uranium from decommissioned bombs — also exist. In this way, nuclear power was used to actively encourage nuclear disarmament.
Now, finally, nuclear has one significant problem. It’s not exactly sustainable. It is better for the environment — it doesn’t have direct CO2 emissions, its fuel is dense and easy to store safely in a small space without polluting the environment, and it’s very controllable. But it lacks sustainability.
The Nuclear Energy Agency estimates that if we keep using up nuclear fuels at our current rate of consumption (accounting for about 10% of all electricity produced worldwide), there is only enough accessible nuclear fuel to keep reactors running for another 200 years.
Now, of course, we have to take into account that we are learning how to make better use of nuclear fuels and we are starting to consider new nuclear fuels like thorium. Uranium energy could transition us into a more sustainable future with nuclear power. Who knows, maybe we’ll even figure out fusion one day.
Nuclear energy is cheaper (in the long term), safer, and more reliable than most renewable power sources. With this in mind, we must consider a switch to nuclear power as the most efficient strategy against climate change we have available as of yet.
