Nuclear Energy

Introduction

In 2024, America's energy usage was 83% composed of fossil fuels. As America alongside nations around the globe face bottlenecks in energy related to AI in addition to the impacts of global warming, a major reckoning is underway for our energy industry. So: what comes next? Will the fossil fuel and renewable energy industries repress it rightfully, or will nuclear be the energy of the future? This issue does not split cleanly along party lines.

Anti-Nuclear

One argument that anti-nuclear advocates make is that nuclear energy cannot meet the energy needs of the future. With artificial intelligence increasing energy needs and developing countries using more and more, it's in America's interest to be making as much energy as possible. Given that building nuclear plants takes 7 to 10 years, it might make more sense to focus America's resources on the energy we have right in front of us. Rather than some sweeping and unrealistic policymaking, why not focus on meeting tangible goals in the world of fossil fuel?

The most common argument against nuclear is the danger that it poses. There are three main incidents that concern people. The first is the 1979 Three Mile Island incident in Pennsylvania, which was a partial meltdown that led to a radioactive pollutants in the air. Luckily, widespread damage was averted, but it was a shock that it happened on American soil. The second is the 1986 Chernobyl explosion in the Soviet Union, which caused pretty significant damage and ended a few lives. Finally, the 2011 Fukushima meltdown in Japan, which shocked people due to the relative technological advancement by 2011. If we brought back nuclear energy on a wide scale, the argument goes, we could have more of these tragic accidents.

In fact, these accidents destroy the gains made against climate change. After Fukushima, it was found that the explosion caused more harm to the climate than it saved. Maybe, if added to America, we would have the same fate.

Pro-Nuclear

The biggest argument for nuclear energy is that it has negligible harm to the climate and has huge marginal efficiency compared to fossil fuels (that is, cost per unit is much lower once the infrastructure is set up). If we can expedite the building timeline by cutting the massive regulations (which can incur billions in costs) and perhaps even subsidize it. Even a solar plant, which is more efficient and climate-friendly than most fossil fuels, requires 450 times the land for a nuclear plant. Nuclear energy focuses on atomic interactions, so there are near-zero climate impacts due to emissions.

In terms of defending against anti-nuclear arguments, many advocates argue a) that accidents are exceedingly rare, and b) that the long-term damage to the climate is much, much worse than the few deaths due to nuclear energy.

Discussion Questions

• How do we weigh the risks vs the benefits of nuclear energy?
• What are your biggest concerns about it?
• Should the government have a role in this issue?
• Given that nuclear plants take so long, can they meet our energy needs?

U.S. Energy Information Agency. "How has energy use changed throughout U.S. history?" July 3, 2024. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=62444

Sustainability by Numbers. "How long does it take to build a nuclear reactor?" April 2, 2023. https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/nuclear-construction-time

Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "Backgrounder on the Three Mile Island Accident," N.D., https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle

World Nuclear Association. "Chernobyl Accident 1986," February 17, 2025. https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident

World Nuclear Association. "Fukushima Daiichi Accident," April 29, 2024. https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-daiichi-accident

Bundesamt fur Strahlenschutz. "Environmental Impact of the Fukushima Accident," August 3, 2023. https://www.bfs.de/EN/topics/ion/accident-management/emergency/fukushima/environmental-consequences.html

Flex Power Energy. "How the Marginal Costs of Power Stations Determine the Merit Order," N.D. https://flex-power.energy/school-of-flex/marginal-costs-merit-order/

Michael Shellenberger. "Why Renewables Can't Save the Planet," November 2018. https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shellenberger_why_renewables_can_t_save_the_planet/transcript