Opportunities for The Future Development of The World: Nuclear Power

The progression of industrialization in developing countries has placed an added demand for carbon-based energy sources for these societies to continue to grow. If developing countries wish to avoid blanketing the world in smog, acid rain, and greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide, it is imperative that nuclear power to be considered, along with whatever limited use can be made of conservation and decentralized power from solar or wind power generation. Nuclear power plants should be a key component of international plans for additional energy-generating capacity in the twenty-first century because it’s clean, cost-effective, and safe.

Compared to any traditional energy source such as coal or natural gas, nuclear energy produces less greenhouse gas emissions while generating a higher amount of electricity. A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) estimates that tripling worldwide nuclear generating capacity by 2050 would eliminate 25 percent of carbon emissions, keeping almost two billion tons of carbon-based resources in the ground. According to Oxford Energy, electricity usage is leaping up rapidly as new major economies develop in developing countries such as China and India.

As of 2019, China has about 45 nuclear power reactors in operation, about 15 under construction, and more about to start construction. India, which currently has 22 nuclear reactors in operation at seven sites, expects to have 30 online by 2022. International cooperation should also advance the construction of more cost-effective and safe reactors in these developing countries. The need for electricity drives a growing demand for electricity generation, especially within the developing countries, with thousands of new power plants needed over the coming decades. Many other countries outside of the US have kept on building clean, safe and efficient nuclear plants. As of 2014, 450 nuclear power plants were operating in 31 countries, supplying a total of 16 percent of the world's electricity.

However, during the third decade after its birth, nuclear power came under assault by environmental activists, and this environmental movement was used as a proxy for anti-war activists' protest against nuclear arms proliferation. The public opposition peaked during the 80s due to the nuclear leak at Three Mile Island (1979), the Chornobyl disaster (1986), and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear leak (2011). But these accidents, while very high profile, are the only significant accidents to befall nuclear power plants in fifty years, with Chornobyl causing the only direct fatalities. There is still emotional baggage attached to nuclear power due to Three Mile Island and Chornobyl. Many environmental groups seek to shoot themselves in the foot by opposing nuclear power when it is one of the safest and cleanest forms of power generation. It would also mean the elimination of catastrophic spills from crashed oil tankers, such as occurred when the Exxon Valdez gushed about 11 million gallons of oil across 1,300 miles of Alaska's coastline. According to data collected by the Paul-Scherrer Institute (PSI) on worldwide electricity generation from 1970 to 2000, nuclear power is 10 times safer than natural gas-fired generation, the next safest alternative. It is 43 times safer than coal and 52 times safer than oil. These figures take into account mining accidents and oil and gas fires and explosions. Notably, while hydroelectric power had the fewest number of major accidents next to nuclear power during the same period, it had the highest number of fatalities due to the heavy loss of life that can occur with dam failure.

Many people automatically link the Nuclear waste and weapons proliferation that some plants make use of a system that recycles spent plutonium. Unfortunately, this recycling technology can also be used to create weapons-grade material. The use of nuclear power could lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons in developing nations such as Iran, North Korea, and Syria. However, most developing countries are much more likely to build simple, cost-effective nuclear plants that use what is known as a 'once-through fuel cycle.' This simply means that plants use fuel once and then must dispose of the waste: they create more waste, but great strides are being made to deal with this nuclear waste. It is estimated that there are sufficient resources of uranium to meet the expanded usage of such plants, thereby eliminating additional concerns over the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

People also have concerns about terrorism--much has been made of possible terrorist threats against nuclear power plants in the wake of the 9/11 attacks against the US in 2001. But the fact is that it would be just as easy to blow up a dam and cause even more damage. Oil shipments, tanker trucks, and many other fuel-related targets would provide more explosive potential than the typical nuclear reactor. Nonetheless, the psychological impact of an attack against a nuclear plant would be significant. Thankfully, fourth-generation plants are expected to be even safer and more secure than existing plants and more resistant to any terrorist attack.

Nuclear plants are only one part of the entire picture of the future generation that will be required to meet worldwide needs for clean, cost-effective power. However, it is important to acknowledge that nuclear power generation is a safe, proven technology that is now in its fourth generation of refinement. With potential methods for better treatment of nuclear waste just around the corner, nuclear power should be considered the first choice for an environmentally sound and cost-efficient means of power generation.