Growing concerns over the climate crisis have prompted many to seek out environmentally friendly ways of living. Nuclear fusion has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any energy type but has faced negative public opinion over its use of nuclear material. So, we had to ask: How environmentally friendly is nuclear fusion?

Overall, nuclear fusion is considered to be environmentally friendly. It has a low carbon footprint, cannot cause a nuclear accident, and does not produce long-lived nuclear waste. Environmentally friendly energy sources have minimal, negative impacts on the environment as a whole.

Keep reading to learn how environmentally friendly nuclear fusion is throughout its life cycle, what its carbon footprint is, what role it plays in combating climate change, and how safe or dangerous it is.

Here’s How Environmentally Friendly Nuclear Fusion Is

Nuclear fusion, one of two ways to produce nuclear energy, is the generation of energy produced when lighter atoms are combined or fused to create larger and heavier atoms.

“Nuclear fusion: the process of joining two nuclei to produce energy.”

Cambridge Dictionary

Nuclear fusion has faced negative public opinion due to its use of nuclear materials which can negatively impact the environment. Environmentally friendly energy sources do just as the word implies, they have minimal, negative impacts on the environment.

“Environmentally friendly: (of products) not harming the environment.”

Cambridge Dictionary

Given the worsening climate crisis, environmentally friendly energy sources have come to represent larger shares of the overall energy market.

To understand how environmentally friendly nuclear fusion is, we must assess its life cycle and each stage’s carbon footprint. This life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to evaluate the environmental impacts of products and materials. Over the years, companies have strategically used LCA to research and create more sustainable products. So, let’s have a look at the LCA of nuclear fusion!

How Environmentally Friendly Is Nuclear Fusion Overall

Overall, nuclear fusion is considered to be environmentally friendly because it produces minimal emissions, cannot cause a nuclear disaster, and does not produce long-lived nuclear wastes.

How Environmentally Friendly Is the Building of Nuclear Fusion

The building stage of nuclear fusion includes constructing the power plant and the nuclear fusion reactor.

Unlike nuclear fission, which involves the highly toxic process of uranium mining, nuclear fusion has a minimal impact on the environment at this initial stage. 

Nuclear fusion reactors can consist of millions of components including, but not limited to, magnets, coils, antennas, diagnostic instruments, cryopumps, thermal shields, and beam injectors, all of which have an environmental impact of their own. For example, the world’s largest tokamak, named ITER, is currently being built in France and consists of over a million components. 

Emissions at this stage occur when constructing the power plant and all of the components associated with it.

How Environmentally Friendly Is the Operating and Maintaining of Nuclear Fusion

The operating and maintaining stage of nuclear fusion includes the process by which lighter atoms are combined or fused to create larger and heavier atoms.

This stage is considered to be environmentally friendly because minimal emissions are produced, and fusion cannot cause a nuclear accident or be used to construct nuclear weapons.

• One study on tokamak fusion power plants found that they emit less CO₂ than photovoltaic solar systems and just about double those from nuclear fission reactors.

• In addition, because nuclear fusion is not based on a chain reaction, the fusion reaction can come to a halt in a fraction of a second, and there is no possibility of uncontrolled radioactive material release. 

• Because nuclear fusion does not use fissile material (e.g., uranium and plutonium) in its reactor, fusion on its own cannot be used to produce nuclear weapons. Hydrogen bombs do use fusion reactions; however, they require an additional nuclear fission bomb to detonate.

How Environmentally Friendly Is the Building Back of Nuclear Fusion

The building back stage of nuclear fusion involves decommissioning the nuclear facility and restoring/repurposing the land.

This stage is expected to be environmentally friendly because nuclear facilities require relatively little land to be restored, and the used tritium has a half-life of only 12 years.

Nuclear fusion produces nuclear waste when high-energy neutrons activate the walls of the plasma vessel. Upon decommissioning the facility, these walls must be temporarily stored until the radioactivity decreases enough to not be a risk to the environment.

Luckily, nuclear fusion radioactivity decreases exponentially faster than nuclear fission radioactivity.Tritium has a half-life of only 12 years, whereas the half-life of uranium is 700 million years. This means fusion byproducts are less radioactive for a shorter amount of time, making it safer for everyone involved. 

Scientists are developing recycling technologies that can be applied to radioactive components of a nuclear fusion reactor. It is currently thought that recycling can begin as early as one year after switching off a power plant, because a nuclear fusion reaction does not produce long-lived nuclear wastes which require long-term storage. 

This is why the building back stage of nuclear fusion is expected to be environmentally friendly. 

Emissions at this final stage occur when utilizing construction equipment to decommission nuclear sites, demolish buildings, restore the surrounding land, and construct new buildings in the old nuclear power plant’s place. 

What Is the Carbon Footprint of Nuclear Fusion

The carbon footprint is one of the ways we measure the effects of human-induced global climate change. It primarily focuses on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with consumption and includes other emissions such as methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

“Carbon footprint: the amount of greenhouse gasses and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such as a person’s activities or a product’s manufacture and transport) during a given period”

Merriam Webster

Nuclear fusion produces little to no greenhouse gas emissions and toxic byproducts, making it one of our most environmentally friendly energy sources. One study on tokamak fusion power plants found that they emit less CO₂ than photovoltaic solar systems and less than half those from nuclear fission reactors. 

Although nuclear fusion emits little to no GHG emissions upon operation, there are emissions associated with other stages of its life cycle including manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, decommissioning, and dismantlement of materials.

How Can Nuclear Fusion Help Mitigate Climate Change

Climate change is a severe, long-term consequence of fossil fuel combustion. If left untreated, atmospheric CO₂ can remain there for tens of thousands of years and exacerbate the negative effects of climate change. Nuclear fusion emits less CO₂ upon operation than fossil fuels and can therefore reduce our total emissions.

How is Climate Change Defined

Climate change is arguably the most severe, long-term global impact of CO₂. Every year, we emit approximately 37 billion tons of CO₂. The carbon found in fossil fuels reacts with oxygen in the air to produce CO₂. 

“Climate change: changes in the earth’s weather, including changes in temperature, wind patterns, and rainfall, especially the increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere that is caused by the increase of particular gasses, especially carbon dioxide.”

Oxford Dictionary

When carbon enters the atmosphere, it absorbs sunlight and solar radiation, trapping the heat and acting as an insulator for the planet.

Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s temperature has risen a little more than 1 degree Celsius (°C), or 2 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). Between 1880-1980 the global temperature rose by 0.07°C every 10 years. This rate has more than doubled since 1981, with a current global annual temperature rise of 0.18°C, or 0.32°F, for every 10 years. 

How Does Nuclear Fusion Specifically Help Mitigate Climate Change

The global average concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere today registers at over 400 parts per million, the highest ever recorded. Nuclear fusion can help lower this concentration because it can replace some of the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas) with a cleaner form of energy.

Estimates suggest that nuclear fusion alone could generate up to 4 times more energy per kilogram of fuel than nuclear fission and nearly 4 million times more energy than burning oil or coal. Because it is so energy-dense, a little of it can potentially offset a lot of our fossil fuel usage.

Nuclear fusion can reduce CO₂ emissions, and the more we reduce CO₂ emissions, the more we combat the negative effects associated with climate change including temperature rise, sea-level rise, ice melting, and ocean acidification. When these rates are slowed, the earth’s biodiversity does not have to struggle to adapt to temperature and pH changes. People will not be displaced due to the flooding of coastal areas. And icebergs will continue to provide climate regulation. 

How Clean Is Nuclear Fusion

Overall, nuclear fusion is considered to be clean energy. 

“Clean energy: energy, as electricity or nuclear power, that does not pollute the atmosphere when used, as opposed to coal and oil”

Collins Dictionary

Nuclear fusion energy produces virtually no greenhouse gasses or any other kind of environmental pollution upon its operation.

How Sustainable Is Nuclear Fusion

Overall, nuclear fusion is considered to be sustainable energy.

“Sustainable: The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level | Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance”

Oxford Dictionary

Nuclear fusion uses readily available, abundant input materials that are found naturally or can be produced from other materials.

How Renewable Is Nuclear Fusion

Overall, nuclear fusion is considered to be renewable energy.

“Renewable Energy: energy that is produced using the sun, wind, etc., or from crops, rather than using fuels such as oil or coal | types of energy that can be replaced naturally such as energy produced from wind or water”

Cambridge Dictionary

Nuclear fusion uses readily available, abundant input materials that are found naturally or can be produced from other common materials.

How Green Is Nuclear Fusion

Overall, nuclear fusion is considered to be green energy.

“Green Energy: energy that can be produced in a way that protects the natural environment, for example by using wind, water, or the sun”

Cambridge Dictionary

Nuclear fusion has a low to zero-emissions profile and is a renewable resource that can have minimal, negative effects on the environment. 

How Safe or Dangerous Is Nuclear Fusion

Overall, nuclear fusion is considered to be minimally dangerous. Holistically and throughout its life cycle, fusion is safe and beneficial for human and animal health, the environment, and the energy grid. It is also significantly safer than fossil fuels and some other types of renewable energy.

Here’s How Safe Nuclear Fusion Is

Overall, nuclear fusion is a safe form of energy regarding human and animal health, the environment, the energy grid, and throughout all stages of its life cycle.

Here’s How Dangerous Nuclear Fusion Is

Overall, nuclear fusion is considered minimally dangerous in terms of human and animal health, the environment, the energy grid, and through all stages of its life cycle. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, nuclear fusion is considered to be environmentally friendly because it produces minimal emissions, cannot cause a nuclear disaster, and does not produce long-lived nuclear wastes. Environmentally friendly energy sources have minimal, negative impacts on the environment as a whole.

Nuclear fusion faces an uncertain future due to previously unresolved engineering issues. As we look towards a future powered by clean energy, figuring out how to commercialize nuclear fusion energy should be a priority because it can benefit our environment.

Stay impactful,

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