✳flâneur — a map of the web's best reading

The controversial future of nuclear power in the U.S.

nationalgeographic.com · 2,932 words · saved by 1 readers

As the climate crisis worsens, the discussion intensifies over what role nuclear power should play in fighting it. President Joe Biden has set ambitious goals for fighting climate change: To cut U.S. carbon emissions in half by 2030 and to have a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. The plan requires electricity generation—the easiest economic sector to green, analysts say—to be carbon-free by 2035. Where is all that clean electricity going to come from? A few figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) illustrate the challenge. In 2020 the United States generated about four trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Some 60 percent of that came from burning fossil fuels, mostly natural gas, in some 10,000 generators, large and small, around the country. All of that electricity will need to be replaced—and more, because demand for electricity is expected to rise, especially if we power more cars with it. Renewable energy sources like solar and wind have grown faster than exp

The controversial future of nuclear power in the U.S. | National Geographic Two nuclear reactors are now under construction in the U.S., at Plant Vogtle in Georgia. They are billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. Photograph by Georgia Power Company ENVIRONMENT PLANET POSSIBLE The controversial future of nuclear power in the U.S. As the climate crisis worsens, the discussion intensifies over what role nuclear power should play in fighting it. By Lois Parshley Published May 4, 2021 • 15 min read President Joe Biden has set ambitious goals for fighting climate change: To cut U

Explore this link on the map →

saved by

related reading