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

Overall, nuclear power is considered to be environmentally friendly in its operating stage but not in its building and building back stages due to the threats of uranium mining and nuclear waste. Environmentally friendly energy sources have minimal, negative impacts on the environment as a whole.

Keep reading to learn how environmentally friendly nuclear power 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 Power Is

The two ways we can generate nuclear power are via nuclear fission (when neutrons divide) or nuclear fusion (when neutrons fuse).

• Nuclear fission is the generation of energy produced when splitting apart the nucleus of an atom. 

“Nuclear fission: a nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of energy.”

Cambridge Dictionary

• Nuclear fusion 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

All operating nuclear power plants today utilize the process of nuclear fission, whereas nuclear fusion is still very much in the research and development phase.

Nuclear power has faced negative public opinion due to its use of nuclear materials and production of nuclear waste, both of 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 fission 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 fission!

How Environmentally Friendly Is Nuclear Power Overall

Overall, nuclear power is considered to be environmentally friendly in its operating stage but not in its building and building back stages due to the environmental threats of uranium mining and nuclear waste.

How Environmentally Friendly Is the Building of Nuclear Power

The building stage of nuclear power includes constructing the power plant and reactors, gathering and processing the input materials, and transporting the materials to the power plant.

This stage is not considered to be environmentally friendly for nuclear fission because of the negative environmental effects associated with uranium mining and nuclear waste. 

Uranium mining contaminates the environment with radioactive dust, radon gas, water-borne toxins, and increased levels of background radiation. Exploratory drilling and mining also heavily increase the risk of contaminating aquatic ecosystems. 

In addition, nuclear waste products generated from nuclear fission reactions include uranium mill tailings, spent (used) reactor fuel, and other radioactive wastes, all of which can remain hazardous for many thousands of years. 

On the other hand, nuclear fusion has a minimal impact on the environment at this initial stage and is considered environmentally friendly. Emissions at this stage occur when constructing the power plant and all of the components associated with it including magnets, coils, antennas, diagnostic instruments, cryopumps, thermal shields, and beam injectors.

How Environmentally Friendly Is the Operating and Maintaining of Nuclear Power

The operating and maintaining stage of nuclear power includes the process by which atomic nuclei are either split apart or fused together to generate energy.

This stage is considered to be environmentally friendly because minimal emissions are produced, and nuclear accidents are rare occurrences in the overall history of nuclear power.

Nuclear power produces a fraction of the pollution and toxic chemicals that fossil fuels produce, making the operating phase very environmentally friendly. In terms of emissions, nuclear power emits 12 grams of CO₂ equivalent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity produced, which is tied for the third-lowest out of all energy types.

Despite facing negative public opinion, there have been only 2 major nuclear accidents in the roughly 70 years that we have been using nuclear power as an energy source, the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters. 

In addition, nuclear fusion cannot cause a nuclear accident or be used to construct nuclear weapons because it does not use fissile material and is not based on a chain reaction.

How Environmentally Friendly Is the Building Back of Nuclear Power

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

The environmental impact at this stage varies based on the type and size of the nuclear facility, with larger nuclear facilities requiring more effort to decommission. Essentially, the smaller the nuclear facility, the more environmentally friendly the building back stage is considered. 

In general, the process of shutting down nuclear power plants is expensive, labor-intensive, time-consuming, and can come with health and safety risks. If done correctly, the process should have a minimal impact on the environment. 

Nuclear fusion is considered to be more environmentally friendly at this stage than nuclear fission because 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 and everything involved. 

What Is the Carbon Footprint of Nuclear Power

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

Although nuclear power 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.

All operating nuclear power plants today utilize the process of nuclear fission. Because of this, nuclear fission is commonly referred to as ‘nuclear power’ in the data and literature. 

On a life-cycle basis, nuclear power emits 12 grams of CO₂ equivalent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity produced, which is tied for the third-lowest out of all energy types.

Have a look at the illustration below to see the average life-cycle CO₂ equivalent emissions of different energy sources and how they compare to nuclear power.

What Role Does Nuclear Power Play in Combating 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 power 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 Power 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 power 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.

Nuclear power helps to avoid 1.5 gigatons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per year and 180 billion cubic meters of global gas demand per year. In the past 50 years, nuclear power has helped avoid over 70 gigatons of GHG emissions. 

Increasing nuclear power energy usage 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 Power

Overall, nuclear power 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 power produces virtually no greenhouse gasses or any other kind of environmental pollution upon its operation.

How Sustainable Is Nuclear Power

Overall, nuclear power varies in sustainability. 

“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 fission is not considered sustainable as it’s nonrenewable and minimally recyclable. Nuclear fusion is sustainable because it uses readily available, abundant materials, minimally impacts the environment, and is recyclable.

How Renewable Is Nuclear Power

Overall, nuclear power varies in how renewable it is.

“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 fission is not renewable because Uranium is a finite material and is not continuously replenished by nature at a rate faster than we can deplete it. However, nuclear fusion is considered to be renewable energy because deuterium and tritium are abundantly found in nature and can be made from common existing materials.

How Green Is Nuclear Power

Overall, nuclear power varies in how green it is considered to be.

“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 fission is not considered to be green because it is a nonrenewable resource that can negatively impact the environment. However, nuclear fusion is considered to be green because it is a renewable resource that has minimal, negative effects on the environment.

How Safe or Dangerous Is Nuclear Power

Overall, nuclear power is considered to be minimally dangerous. Holistically and throughout its life cycle, nuclear power 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 Power Is

Overall, nuclear power 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 Power Is

Overall, nuclear power 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 power is considered to be environmentally friendly in its operating stage because it generates a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions as fossil fuels and can have a minimal impact on the land provided that proper siting, monitoring, and maintenance of nuclear plants occurs. However, its building and building back stages can negatively impact the environment and are therefore not considered environmentally friendly.

Environmentally friendly energy is poised to see continued growth in the future as we look to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate global warming. As we look towards a future without fossil fuels, nuclear power can help us bridge the gap in a time of transition.

Stay impactful,

Sources

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