Zhao Zhong, a former nuclear engineer at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the China program coordinator at Pacific Environment, an environmental group.
I agree that we should move away from our dependence on greenhouse gas- emitting fossil fuels at a faster pace and find replacements for our energy needs at magnitudes much greater than current expectations.
Championing one technology, though, is a distraction. There’s little to be gained in engaging folks in a “solar versus nuclear” battle.
The single most important thing we must do is place a high price, or a strict cap, on carbon emissions to make fossil fuel energy less attractive when compared to other energy sources. We are at the beginning stages of capping coal in China but much more needs to be done. If we price coal and other fossil fuels to capture their true costs, it will immediately make all the alternatives to fossil fuels more competitive and drive innovations in the clean energy sector.
In China there is huge room for growth in energy efficiency, solar and wind. Nuclear might have a role too, but I predict that it will be more limited than what these climate scientists were suggesting in their recent appeal.
Nuclear has problems. To many of us in China and nearby regions, the Fukushima accident was a huge wake-up call on the dangers of nuclear power. First it set off a panic about food safety as millions rushed to grocery stores to buy salt, which helps to prevent illnesses associated with radiation. But more important, we realized that nuclear power creates serious environmental justice burdens: nearby communities face hugely disproportionate risks from a nuclear catastrophe. Nuclear energy itself is also not as low carbon as people think when you factor in true lifecycle costs, including mining uranium.
I’d rather see our society focus on new technologies and policy incentives that promote the many safer, truly clean forms of energy. But it all starts with pricing fossil fuels out of the market. That’s the first step and the most important one.