Nuclear energy is a key tool in reducing greenhouse gases. Nuclear power plants generate electricity for one in five homes and businesses in the United States without producing or emitting any greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide. Nuclear power plants generate 73 percent of all carbon-free electricity in America. Life-cycle emissions from nuclear energy are comparable to other non-emitting sources of electricity, such as solar, wind and hydropower.
Carbon dioxide is widely believed to be one of the main causes of global warming. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is emitted by human activity, including the use of fossil fuels. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 85 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are carbon dioxide.
The volume of greenhouse gas emissions prevented at the nation’s 104 nuclear units is equivalent to taking 96 percent of all passenger cars off America’s highways for one year. By using nuclear power instead of fossil fuel-based plants, the U.S. nuclear energy industry prevented 681.99 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2005.
Voluntary efforts by U.S. industry and international emission reduction efforts such as the Kyoto Protocol would be hampered significantly if nuclear power production did not increase. These efforts would be nearly impossible if nuclear power were eliminated. For example, building renewable energy sources—wind, solar and hydroelectric—to replace the 20 percent of U.S. energy produced by nuclear power plants would have no impact on the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. With the escalating demand for electricity, it is estimated that just to maintain the current electrical supply mix, an additional 50 new nuclear reactors will have to be constructed to meet future electricity demands.
Opponents to nuclear power cite “life-cycle” impacts. Some critics claim that nuclear energy’s air emissions are comparable to those of fossil-fuel sources of electricity generation when the life-cycle impacts of nuclear power are considered. Although nuclear power plants do not emit greenhouse gases when generating electricity, certain processes used to build and fuel the plants do, such as hauling the fuel to the plants in trucks. This is true of all energy facilities. However, numerous studies show that nuclear’s life-cycle impacts are actually more comparable to renewable forms of generation, like wind and solar, and far less than those of coal- or natural gas-fired power plants.
As the co-founder of Greenpeace, Patrick Moore, has said, nuclear energy may just be the energy source that can save our planet from catastrophic climate change. Moore, writing in The Washington Post in 2006, goes on to add “...nuclear energy is the only large-scale, cost-effective energy source that can reduce [carbon dioxide] emissions while continuing to satisfy a growing demand for power.” Moore is the co-chair, with Christine Todd Whitman, of Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, a new nonprofit group promoting the benefits of nuclear energy for the United States.
Support for nuclear energy is bipartisan. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has said he “firmly believes that nuclear power is a key technology for addressing climate change. As we develop strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we simply cannot ignore this emission-free technology.”
Rep. Bob Clement (D-Tenn.) says, "With the implementation of the Clean Air Act and the administration's increased concern about global climate change and acid rain, renewed attention has been focused on nuclear energy's significant environmental benefits. Environmental awareness, coupled with an increased basic need for electricity, is becoming critical in certain regions of the country. Nuclear energy, along with a strong conservation program and energy efficiency programs, is a smart choice."