Is nuclear energy a good alternative to fossil fuels?

What's your response to Amy Harder's argument that environmentalists are missing opportunities to build consensus on climate change by opposing nuclear power and carbon sequestration projects? This question was originally answered on Quora by Michael Barnard. read more

No. Nuclear generates about 5% of world energy. Fossil fuels 87%. Nuclear is actually declining slightly as old plant retires. New plant is incredibly costly and takes forever. Is it possible to expand the 5% to take over the 87%. No chance. read more

“To produce enough nuclear power to equal the power we currently get from fossil fuels, you would have to build 10,000 of the largest possible nuclear power plants. That’s a huge, probably nonviable initiative, and at that burn rate, our known reserves of uranium would last only for 10 or 20 years.” (Goodstein). read more

When most environmentalists discuss alternative energy sources that might replace the burning of fossil fuels, nuclear power is routinely not included in the mix. This might be the biggest mistake of our modern era since nuclear energy may well be the best solution for global warming. read more