Can nuclear energy be a solution to excessive carbon emissions?
Humans are currently looking for ways to utilize more efficient sources of energy. However, the production of many energy sources drastically harms the environment. Fossil fuel energy, one of the most widespread energy sources, is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, accounting for 28% of total greenhouse gas emissions of the EU, thus playing a major role in global warming. Under the 2016 Paris Agreement, the EU plans to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 40% by 2030 compared to 2019.
Currently, fossil fuels account for 40%, renewable energy for 19.7% and nuclear energy for 26.4% of the total energy production of EU countries. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel energy should be replaced by more sustainable alternative methods. Even though renewable energy sources - wind, solar and hydropower - are very eco-friendly, they are not reliable to meet today’s requirements, because they are highly dependent on weather, which makes them inaccessible for many countries. On the other hand, many researchers argue that nuclear power is a more efficient and cleaner source of energy. One of the reasons for this is that the energy created by nuclear power is much more powerful than fossil fuel. For example, a kilogram of uranium, a major fuel for nuclear power, would be enough to take a car 1.77 million km.
After the disastrous accidents, such as Fukushima and Chernobyl, public support for nuclear power has decreased. Additionally, the proliferation of nuclear power is negatively impacted by both the high costs and security threats associated with nuclear power plants. As a result, countries such as Belgium, Germany and Switzerland are trying to phase out nuclear energy.
Currently, there are 106 nuclear power plants in use across the EU countries and they are responsible for 26.4% of total energy production. However, despite the sustainability of nuclear energy and the widespread dependence on fossil fuels, some countries, such as Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, plan to reduce the number of nuclear power plants to a minimum amount by 2030. With the prospect of global warming, the need to diversify our energy sources has never been more important.
Anar Mammadov
01.16.2022
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