Today, more than three decades after the events of Chernobyl and three-mile-island drastically changed North America’s view on nuclear power, the future of nuclear energy seems more uncertain than ever. As I write this piece, workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan are struggling to stabilize one of the nuclear reactors affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the island early last month (Kageyame, 2011). Furthermore, just last week and after weeks of massive anti-nuclear protests, Germany announced it is considering an exit strategy from the nuclear energy plans its government laid out in 2010 (Bussiness Insider, 2011).To be sure, the future of nuclear power appears bleak. Nonetheless, recent sizeable investments in thorium-based nuclear technology in China and India, underline a renewed interest in nuclear power for satisfying the growing energy needs of the developing world (The Guardian, 2010). Indeed, as global energy use is expected to double by 2050 and levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) continue to rise alongside, the search for a sustainable replacement for fossil fuels has sparked new interest in the zero carbon emission appeal of nuclear energy. This paper will assess the prospects of nuclear energy as a long-term alternative to fossil fuels. It will be concluded that, while problems relating to safety, costs and public attitudes are major obstacles to the industry, if addressed, nuclear energy could represent a clean and enduring alternative to fossil fuels.
