logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
23m 50s

Do we need more nuclear power to help de...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In November 2021, Britain will host the next UN Climate Change Conference, otherwise known as COP 26. Some 200 countries will come together to try to speed up attempts to make the world carbon neutral by the middle of the century.

But many countries are already struggling to ramp up renewable energy sufficiently to meet their greenhouse emission reduction targets. So is there another answer out there?

Around a tenth of the world's electricity is generated by nuclear reactors. Global generation has slowed in recent years after the nuclear accident in Fukushima a decade ago prompted governments to take a more cautious stance.

But with the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, many prominent environmentalists are now taking another look at nuclear energy.

Tanya Beckett asks if nuclear energy can helps us transition away from fossil fuel power.

Produced by Soila Apparicio.

(Exhaust plumes from cooling towers at the coal-fired power station at Jaenschwalde Germany. Credit: Sean Gallup /Getty Images)

Up next
Aug 19
Can Indonesia afford free lunches?
Children in Indonesia are now receiving free school meals — part of a bold new plan by President Prabowo Subianto to tackle malnutrition. Around one in five children in the country are stunted, meaning they are too short for their age. The lunch programme is central to Prabowo’s ... Show More
22m 59s
Aug 12
How are drones changing the landscape of modern warfare?
When the war in Ukraine began back in February 2022, the remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle or drone as its commonly known, was peripheral to the conflict. But three years on, the drone in all its shapes and sizes has taken on a central role in this battle, in the air, on ... Show More
22m 59s
Aug 5
What does Syria’s recent conflict tell us about al-Sharaa’s presidency?
In July, a brutal highway hijacking in southern Syria sparked tit-for-tat clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters. During the week-long violence, over a thousand people were killed and more than 125,000 displaced. Syrian government forces and Israel also entered the conflict.T ... Show More
22m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
How green is nuclear energy?
Is nuclear energy ‘sustainable’ and deserving of tax breaks? It’s a question dividing member states of the European Union which is considering what role nuclear should play in efforts to wean the continent off fossil fuels. Germany announced it would phase out its existing nuclea ... Show More
49m 2s
Apr 2023
Will Africa have a nuclear powered future?
Africa is facing a power dilemma – it needs to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, but renewable energy sources currently produce very little power on the continent. This is why some governments are looking seriously at nuclear power as an alternative. There is currently only on ... Show More
20m 52s
Dec 2021
Checks and Balance: Nuclear option
Nuclear is responsible for nearly 20% of America’s power generation and about half of its clean energy. It’s greener than fossil fuels and more reliable than renewables. Yet safety fears remain and plants are being closed. Will the climate crisis force America to reconsider nucle ... Show More
42m 26s
Dec 2020
Should We Go Nuclear?
When it comes to nuclear energy, many people have strong opinions. Some say that if you're not on board with nuclear energy, then you aren't serious about addressing the climate crisis. Nuclear, after all, produces a lot of electricity and doesn't emit greenhouse gases while maki ... Show More
46m 42s
Jan 2020
Germany’s Energy Transition
Germany has long been considered a leader in renewable energy – a model even for others to follow with its subsidies for wind and solar. Householders were encouraged to put solar panels on their rooves as early as two decades ago. But its so-called “Energiewende” or “energy trans ... Show More
26m 28s
Jan 2023
The Renaissance of Nuclear Power
What’s led the world to restart the stalled atomic engine?2022 was a year of important milestones for nuclear power. The most significant piece of climate legislation in US history – the IRA – included tax incentives and investment for the nuclear industry. A $15 per megawatt-hou ... Show More
54m 29s
Sep 2023
Focus on the climate
Leaders around the world are rolling back climate policies and pledges, purportedly to boost their economies. In Britain, the government has just approved a huge new oil and gas field in the North Sea, one week after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak slow-rolled carbon neutral targets. ... Show More
55m 28s