Nuclear Energy vs. Fossil Fuels?
The following
article analyzes carbon dioxide output following the Fukushima disaster in Japan, whereby three meltdowns at the power plant led to various shutdowns of nuclear reactors at the Fukushima power plant along with several others nearby. While it was found that energy consumption dropped significantly (approximately 10%), emissions of carbon dioxide increased about 4%. One would think that CO2 emissions would decrease as a result of the decrease in energy consumption, however as the nation turned to natural gas, oil, and coal in substitution for the 46 reactors which were subsequently shut down, the percentage of carbon dioxide per unit of energy running was approximately 15% higher. As this case of Fukushima shows, a decrease in nuclear production in favor of fossil fuels will only increase carbon dioxide emissions, and thus contribute to global warming. After reading this article, is it safe to assume that nuclear energy is more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels?
This makes me wonder if a similar increase in GHG emissions will take place in Germany, where they have decided to close down all their nuclear reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. The shutdown won't be immediate, however, giving the Germans a chance to increase power generation from renewables.
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