Is nuclear power a problem or a solution?

Amid the global climate crisis, environmentalists are divided over the costs and benefits of nuclear energy. We will need it for years to come but their share in the energy mix will decline as renewables, new tech like hydrogen and CO2 capturing technologies, come into play.” Nuclear energy The IEA chief also called for the world to look to nuclear energy to help ease the transition away from fossil fuels, especially when the wind does not blow or the sun does not shine. “Nuclear power generates electricity without interruption and once the plants are built, without any emissions,” said Birol. Jim Hansen, who brought the global warming issue into the public consciousness in the 1980s, said nuclear power paves the only viable path forward on climate change. There has been just one accident resulting in deaths from radiation – Chernobyl – and that was a reactor without a containment structure the likes of which will never be built again.” By contrast, Emanuel said, the World Health Organization estimates that there are around three million premature deaths per year from particulate pollution arising from the combustion of fossil fuels.