Chances are that you have probably heard of the phrase 'peak oil', coined by Marion Hubbert in 1956 to describe the point in global history where resources of oil start to deplete. Where concerns regarding the viability of oil and other resources such as coal start to emerge, I think nuclear power is best placed for our global energy future for two main reasons - jobs and lower emissions:
Lower greenhouse gas emissions
As compared to energy resources such as oil and natural gas, nuclear energy releases zero, if not minimal gases such as carbon dioxide and methane which cause the greenhouse effect. As the graph below shows, nuclear energy has one of the lowest greenhouse gas emissions (29 tonnes/GWh) as compared to coal (888) or oil (733). In the presence of such carbon intensive resources, nuclear energy could really become the real alternative and ensure clean energy production.
With global temperatures increasing at a steady rate as the Mauna Loa graph shows, nuclear energy could really benefit countries around the world. Nuclear energy could especially help countries who are more susceptible to climate change such as UAE and Saudi Arabia by providing them with a low-carbon energy system that could help stabilise levels of CO2 (Al Farra and Abu-Hiljeh 2012).
Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. It is something every living person must do throughout their life in order to earn money and live a happy life. Guess what? Nuclear energy provides just that. According to a white paper in 2014 by the Nuclear Energy Institute, nuclear plants create some of the largest economic benefits in terms of providing more employment than any other electricity generating technology - each plant requires at least 400-700 permanent workers on average. Not only do nuclear plants create direct jobs, but there are also many indirect jobs that are created. By 2020, nuclear related industries in the US are expected to create around 250,000 indirect jobs through sectors such as operations, construction and management (Kenley et al. 2009 study based on 40 nuclear energy suppliers).
If the production of nuclear energy is increased, imagine the impact that would have on unemployment across the world, especially in the developing world! The impact of nuclear energy on employment is not just prominent in the US, but also back home in the UK. 65,000 people are estimated to be employed in the nuclear industry in the UK, and almost 2000 are on apprenticeship programmes. In a time where many coal power plants are closing down, the rise of nuclear energy could be used to retrain the skills of many workers and help them have careers where there is long term sustainability and job security. I particularly like this video of 21 year old, Ben Lewis who has been working as an apprentice on the Hinkley Point C power plant in Somerset. He explains how he has worked towards qualifications, whilst at the same time worked in roles such as construction and regulation. Have a look at it below:
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