Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet, 2021a

15 Nuclear <strong>Energy</strong> 264
15.4.8 Pros <strong>and</strong> Cons of Fission
Collecting the advantages <strong>and</strong> disadvantages of fission, we start with
the positive aspects:
◮ Nuclear fuel has extraordinary energy density, about a million
times better than chemical energy density;
◮ Nuclear fission is proven technology providing a substantial fraction
of electrical energy at present;
◮ Life-cycle CO 2 emissions for nuclear fission is only 2% that of
traditional fossil fuel electricity [68];
◮ Breeder reactors could provide thous<strong>and</strong>s of years of fuel, by way
of uranium <strong>and</strong> thorium (undeveloped as yet).
[68]: (2020), Life Cycle GHG Emissions
And for the downsides:
◮ Radioactive waste is dangerous for thous<strong>and</strong>s of years, <strong>and</strong> no
clear solution to its disposal or long-term storage has emerged.
◮ Conventional uranium fission has limited fuel supply, 55 measuring
in decades;
◮ Breeder reactors exacerbate the waste issue <strong>and</strong> promote proliferation
of nuclear materials;
◮ Development of nuclear energy technology prepares an easy step
to immensely destructive nuclear weapons;
◮ Accidents happen even to the best-managed reactors, the consequences
often being severe for a region.
Nuclear fission is a complex topic that has compelling advantages
<strong>and</strong> worrisome faults. Not surprisingly, attitudes are highly mixed.
One survey [104] indicates that adults in the U.S. oppose building
more nuclear plant by a slim 51% to 45%, while scientists overall favor
advancing nuclear plants by a 2:1 margin, 56 <strong>and</strong> physicists surveyed
favored nuclear by 4:1. Scientists are much more likely to view climate
change as a serious threat than the U.S. population as a whole, <strong>and</strong>
therefore are likely to be attracted to energy resources that do not emit
CO 2 . Of the physicists surveyed, it would be a mistake to assume that
even the majority know the topic as thoroughly as it is covered in this
chapter—given the degree of specialization within the field. Among
those who underst<strong>and</strong> the topic thoroughly 57 it is almost certain you’d
find a healthy split: those for whom the perils outweigh advantages, <strong>and</strong>
those who are concerned enough about climate change to accept the
“lesser of two evils,” <strong>and</strong>/or who are enthusiastic about the technology
as a glowing example of our mastery over nature’s hidden secrets.
55: ...in the absence of breeder reactor
implementation
[104]: Pew Research (2015), “Elaborating on
the Views of AAAS Scientists, Issue by Issue”
56: ...aclear, but not overwhelming, result
57: We might also acknowledge an intrinsic
psychological appeal for complex topics
that have been mastered: a sort of pride in
the privileged comprehension that might
transfer to warm feelings for the subject.
15.5 Fusion
Given that fission has problems of finite uranium supply, radioactive
waste, proliferation <strong>and</strong> weapons, <strong>and</strong> safety issues, its future is uncertain.
© 2021 T. W. Murphy, Jr.; Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Lic.;
Freely available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/energy_ambitions.