Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy harnesses the energy released when heavy atomic nuclei (uranium-235, plutonium-239) are split (fission) or when light nuclei (hydrogen isotopes) are fused (fusion). Fission reactors provide approximately 10% of the world's electricity — with essentially zero greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear power plants in France supply 70% of that country's electricity; the US has 93 commercial reactors providing 20% of its electricity. The three major accidents — Three Mile Island (1979, US, limited release), Chernobyl (1986, USSR, massive release, 31 direct deaths + estimated 4,000-60,000 long-term cancer deaths), and Fukushima (2011, Japan, triggered by tsunami, 1 radiation death, area still restricted) — shaped public perception. Nuclear fusion (the energy of the Sun) has been achieved in laboratories (NIF's ignition in 2022 was the first fusion reaction producing more energy than delivered) and promises effectively unlimited clean energy.