Conclusions

In the context of international climate change negotiations, the nuclear industry tries to depict nuclear energy as the most effective way to solve the climate problem. This claim has no basis in fact.

Nuclear energy is neither effective nor viable, it is not a sustainable source and it causes devastating problems that humanity is not able to handle.

6 key conclusions can be drawn from the analysis of nuclear power as a possible solution for the climate problem:

• it can be done differently
• years of failure to find an adequate solution for nuclear waste do not guarantee success in the future
• nuclear energy is neither sustainable nor infinite
• nuclear power costs too much
• electricity is only a small part of the climate problem
• nuclear power will not give a big enough reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

It can be done differently.

Nuclear energy is an inefficient and dangerous way to prevent climate change. Added to this are the problems of nuclear waste, safety risks, health risks to employees, and the risks of nuclear proliferation and terrorism.

Moreover, there are other possibilities. We have enough technical knowledge to introduce sustainable energy on a large scale and to prevent the waste of energy.

What we lack is the political will to invest in these methods of climate protection. But we will have to make a start with it, and we better do it quick. Climate change is causing too much damage already, financial as well as social and ecological. We cannot afford to ignore it.

Years of failure do not guarantee success in the future.

There is still no feasible idea on how to deal with the extremely dangerous radioactive waste. It is not the volume but the level of (very long-term) danger that is the real problem with this waste. Advocates of nuclear energy point to research into techniques that should reduce the half-life of radioactivity of this waste, but the chances for success are rapidly fading. Moreover these techniques could only provide a solution for new radioactive waste, not for the existing waste. Attempts to find a safe final storage for it have failed to date.

Nuclear energy is neither sustainable nor infinite.

Uranium reserves are limited and this fuel problem cannot be solved with fast breeder technology because even after decennia of research, fast breeders are a technical and economical failure. Moreover plutonium, the fuel for fast breeders, is extremely poisonous and dangerous as well as being the basis for nuclear weapons.

Money can be spent only once.

The costs of nuclear energy are huge, although this is not shown in the price because many costs are financed by society in the form of government subsidies. If the nuclear industry itself had to carry the costs for realistic insurance and for decommissioning then nuclear energy would be an even more expensive source of energy. And meanwhile the prices of sustainable energy are decreasing. If we have to choose where to invest our money, then governments and society should provide more means for the development of sustainable energy and energy demand reduction.

Electricity is only a small part of the climate problem.

Electricity generation accounts for just 9% of total human greenhouse gas emissions, and only electricity production is possible with nuclear energy. For a solution to the climate problem, as research shows over and over again, we should look at the demand side of energy. Less energy should be wasted and sustainable sources should be developed with the utmost urgency.

A little less is not enough.

When examining the various stages of the nuclear process it turns out that nuclear energy does - indirectly - generate greenhouse gases. Much less than by energy production using coal and oil, but not much less than gas and significantly more compared with electricity production from sustainable energy sources such as sun or wind. The emission factor of nuclear energy is about to rise because the grades of usable uranium in the ore will decrease in the future. Therefore more energy will be needed to mine, extract and enrich this uranium to make it usable for nuclear power generation.