Bilbao y Leòn and Lindberg reported-, 2022 that after decades of mostly rhetoric on climate change, robust and urgent actions must be taken to avoid its worst effects. However, the energy transition discourse reflects an anti-humanitarian philosophy that will undermine any serious efforts of achieving decarbonization, as well as merely entrenching already-existing global inequalities.
The potential of nuclear power for radically reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been well-explored. However, to date, few attempts have been made to fully discern the broader positive impacts nuclear technology can have on achieving sustainable and equitable development. Nuclear science and technology have broad applications and should be placed at the center of policies aimed at combatting energy poverty, reducing air pollution, providing clean water, addressing food insecurity, or fulfilling any other of the United Nations’ 17 SDGs.
This chapter explores the centrality of energy in ensuring sustainable development, a just energy transition, and the importance of nuclear energy, which goes far beyond simply delivering low-carbon electricity.
The authors concluded that the global coronavirus pandemic that is currently (2022) gripping the world has in many ways highlighted the considerable inequities that exist between, and within, different countries. It has also shown that when humanity comes together to resolve an emergency, it is possible to achieve monumental outcomes. The development of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in less than a year is a case in point, especially considering that the previous vaccine development record was more than four years. After decades of mostly rhetoric on climate change, the same sense of urgency must be used to take robust action to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
However, modern political discourse relating to the clean energy transition, and economic development more broadly, carries the characteristics of a ‘zero-sum’ mindset, positing that the populations of high income countries must accept lowering their standards of living to allow low and middle income countries to become more high powered, while limiting the level of developments these countries can expect. This is an anti-humanitarian philosophy that will undermine any serious efforts of achieving decarbonization, as well as merely entrenching already existing global inequalities. While it is conceivable that the world’s wealthiest countries will undergo a major behavioral transformation and will consent to energy-restricted lifestyles, it is extremely unlikely that the same will apply to the world’s low and middle income countries, which are home to more than 85% of the global population.
These countries need more reliable, around-the-clock energy to ensure a higher standard of living for their populations, and it is within their right to strive for the same high powered lifestyles that high income countries have been enjoying for several generations. The key question at hand is whether these low and middle income countries will commit to the same high carbon, high pollution journey as others have in the past, or whether they will have access to the required skills, financing and technologies to leapfrog straight away to an energy system that is affordable, low carbon and reliable.
Nuclear technologies hold immense potential to fundamentally alter life prospects around the world, be it by providing abundant, sustainable and reliable electricity or combating hunger and diseases using various radioisotopes. Nuclear power provides a golden opportunity to embrace an abundance mindset once and for all, and it is the only technology that has a track record to prove not only that it can achieve deep decarbonization at the speed required, but also that it can help to bring vast quantities of electricity to populations across the world. Nuclear power has broken the correlation between economic growth and growing emissions, showing that it is possible to decarbonize the electricity systems of advanced economies within the timeframes necessary to avert the worst effects of climate change, whilst allowing high powered but sustainable lifestyles.
George Santayana’s aphorism “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” offers some guidance relevant to the energy transition that humanity is embarking upon. It is clear that communities around the world have to wean themselves off their long standing addiction to fossil fuels, and that access to more electricity and a better quality of life will trump concerns about greenhouse gas emissions. With nuclear power, no such trade-off has to take place. A crucial first step towards this is for policymakers at all levels, be it local, national or international, to dare to challenge preconceived notions about nuclear technologies and stand for the opportunity they provide.
Just as crucial is the leadership from the world’s high-income countries- because of the legacy of past emissions, they have a responsibility to help low- and middle- income countries to leapfrog the fossil-powered development phase. This can be achieved by encouraging multilateral banks to support all low-carbon technologies, including nuclear, and promoting technical cooperation and knowledge transfer. If they do, the momentous task of building truly equitable, sustainable and aspirational societies around the world becomes considerably easier.
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