Sustainable Development

What would the world look like if developing nations could access a low-cost, ever-ready, safe, secure and clean source of energy?

It’s no exaggeration, the benefits of nuclear technology can help solve some of the world’s most complex challenges: poverty, hunger, inequality, stagnant economies, environmental harm and more. The international development sector is already exploring nuclear-based solutions for sustainable development in energy, transportation, agriculture, medicine, food preservation, hydrology, industry and ecology.

Nuclear Energy and the Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, all member states of the United Nations adopted a development agenda of 17 sustainable development goals to end global inequality and protect the planet. Goal 7 is “Affordable and Clean Energy” and the advantages of nuclear energy extend to several other goals as well. 

Sustainable Development Goal #7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential. Sustainable energy is opportunity—it transforms lives, economies and the planet.

— UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Goal #7 Targets

• By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
• By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
• By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
• By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology.
• By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programs of support.

The nuclear energy industry, both within the United States and abroad, actively supports this goal and its targets. “Nuclear Power and Sustainable Development,” a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), outlines the role that nuclear energy can play in encouraging sustainable development around the globe. 

What Does “Nuclear Energy Sustainability” Mean?

When we say that nuclear energy is a key element for sustainable development, we mean that:

• It can meet global demand. The International Energy Agency reports that more than 1 billion people worldwide live without electricity. Without electricity, basic human needs like clean water, food security and educational opportunities are difficult to obtain. Nuclear technology can help bring reliable electricity infrastructure to help improve the health and quality of life for a growing number of communities that live in poverty.
• ​It protects our climate. In the U.S. alone, nuclear electricity prevents more than 471 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere every year. Nuclear facilities also require the least amount of land to generate electricity, compared to other energy sources.
• It is reliable and stable. Unlike variable energy sources like wind and solar, nuclear power is available 24/7. And when unforeseen events interrupt the energy supply chain, nuclear facilities stay online to continue providing power to vulnerable populations.
• It is affordable. A comparison study from IAEA found that nuclear power is one of the most affordable sources of electricity worldwide.
• It promotes health and well-being. NASA and Columbia University found that nuclear power may have saved 1.8 million lives that otherwise would have been lost to pollution from emissions worldwide. Nuclear electricity promotes people’s well-being by improving air quality, providing jobs and stimulating economies.

Nuclear power can be seen as a reliable source of power that can play a role in energy supply diversification and foster a more resilient sustainable power supply.

— INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY

The Environmental Advantages of Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear energy requires the least amount of land to generate electricity for the grid. A nuclear power plant only requires 1.3 square miles to generate enough electricity to power more than 750,000 homes.
• Nuclear power plants can have large water requirements for cooling. But new cooling systems, such as hybrid systems with cooling towers, can reduce a plant’s water needs.
• High energy density uranium produces low volumes of waste compared to other energy sources. These wastes, including all radioactive byproducts of the fission process, are safely contained at plant sites until they can be shipped off-site for permanent disposal. Internationally, there is strong scientific consensus backing geologic repositories as a safe and secure solution, and these facilities are under stricter regulation than facilities for wastes produced by other forms of energy.

The Economic Advantages of Nuclear Energy

• A comparison of electricity generation costs worldwide (factoring in construction and operation costs) shows that nuclear power is the most affordable source of clean energy in the world.
• While electricity generated by coal and natural gas is less expensive than nuclear, the external costs associated with those sources’ emissions are many times higher.
• Uranium supply is vastly available and its reserve-to-production ratio is far better than oil or natural gas. We can generate nuclear power at our current levels for more than a century with just the natural uranium ore deposits already identified.
• The cost of some other energy sources can vary significantly in times of price instability or geopolitical conflict. Nuclear power prices are consistently low, adding valuable price stability to our electrical grid and our economy.

The Social Advantages of Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear energy systems have some of the least harmful comparative impacts on human health. They improve air quality and dramatically reduce pollution.
• Nuclear plants generate long-term jobs and a higher demand for skilled labor than other energy technologies. They often stimulate economic activity, which consequently improves people’s well-being.
• Strict policies worldwide ensure the highest levels of safety standards for the nuclear industry’s workforce. Multiple levels of private and public oversight, from both host countries and international bodies, ensure compliance with these strict safety standards.