Do we need nuclear power to stop climate change?
Do we need nuclear power to stop climate change?
A nuclear apocalypse is low risk but a climate catastrophe is already underway. Environmentalists are increasingly arguing to keep nuclear power plants open - but should we?
We’re destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn’t need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we’ll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.
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International Energy Agency roadmap for net-zero emissions by 2050:
https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-…
Safest sources of energy:
https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sou…
The costs of Germany’s nuclear phase-out:
https://www.nber.org/system/files/wor…
https://static.agora-energiewende.de/…
Public opinion:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/…
Nuclear waste:
https://worldnuclearwastereport.org/w…
Reporter: Ajit Niranjan
Video editor: Madmo Cem, Adam Springer
Supervising Editor: Kiyo Dörrer
Content
1.52 -> a terrifying threat to the planet
4.24 -> there has been a nuclear accident in the
6 -> soviet union and the soviets have
7.44 -> admitted that it happened
8.4 -> the worst accident in the short history
10.559 -> of the world's nuclear power industry
12.88 -> a disaster we see people fighting to
15.36 -> prevent
18.64 -> tens of thousands demonstrated on
20.48 -> saturday against plans to extend the
22.4 -> life of the country's nuclear power
24.08 -> stations
27.519 -> but for others a risk worth taking
32 -> we have an urgent and enormous
35.04 -> challenge in front of us we really
37.12 -> cannot afford
38.64 -> the luxury to say no
42.32 -> nuclear power is divisive china and
45.039 -> india have been ramping up their
46.399 -> capacities to get electricity to
48.16 -> hundreds of millions more people
50.079 -> without raising emissions other
52.399 -> countries from germany to japan have
54.32 -> been switching off plants because
55.76 -> they're worried about safety
58.559 -> and a new generation of
59.68 -> environmentalists are worried about
61.52 -> seeing sources of carbon free
62.879 -> electricity shut down
64.87 -> [Music]
71.2 -> so do we need nuclear energy to stop
73.439 -> climate change
75.04 -> and should we risk it
82.24 -> to keep the planet from heating we're
83.759 -> supposed to double the amount of nuclear
85.52 -> power by 2050
87.36 -> that's one pathway to clean electricity
89.36 -> from the international energy agency
92.4 -> if you listen to the world nuclear
93.6 -> association it's not nearly enough
96.24 -> talk to anti-nuclear activists and they
98.24 -> say it's too dangerous
100.56 -> scientists have mixed opinions on
102.079 -> whether betting on nuclear is such a
103.92 -> good idea
105.52 -> let's break it down it's hard to imagine
109.28 -> now that people used to see nuclear
110.88 -> power as a beacon of hope
112.479 -> the creator jobs then generated
114 -> electricity without polluting the air
116.32 -> until the mid 1970s americans mostly
118.719 -> wanted nuclear power
120.719 -> but that support soon soured we
123.84 -> and the world which is our home live on
126.96 -> the brink of nuclear
128.879 -> annihilation that was the first earth
132 -> day protest in the u.s during the cold
133.92 -> war
134.879 -> the call to ban nukes resonated with
136.8 -> hippies and environmentalists who hated
138.879 -> anything nuclear it wasn't just bombs
141.68 -> they saw the whole technology as dirty
143.44 -> and dangerous
145.599 -> and they were kind of proven right in
148.319 -> 1979 a nuclear reactor went into partial
151.04 -> meltdown at three mile island in the us
153.76 -> nobody died but it cost one billion
155.28 -> dollars to clean up
157.599 -> and we've probably all heard of the
159.44 -> infamous chernobyl disaster in 1986
162.4 -> a reactor went out of control and blew
164.48 -> up after overheated uranium melted
166.64 -> through protective barriers
168.319 -> it spewed radioactive material and
169.92 -> isotopes into the atmosphere and left
171.519 -> the surrounding area uninhabitable
174.64 -> the disaster at chernobyl was the worst
176.64 -> in the history of nuclear power
177.76 -> generation
178.72 -> the explosion itself killed two people
180.56 -> and 28 emergency workers died of
182.8 -> radiation sickness within three months
185.44 -> scientists estimate the long-term death
187.12 -> toll from the radiation stretches into
188.72 -> the thousands
190.959 -> that all made the nuclear industry
192.319 -> tighten its standards but across the
194.4 -> world
194.879 -> the idea of a safe nuclear power plant
196.72 -> had already started to crumble
199.519 -> let's fast forward 25 years most nuclear
202.239 -> power plants have been built close to
203.68 -> coasts or rivers so they can use
205.2 -> water to get rid of waste heat but
207.28 -> that's left them vulnerable to floods
210.56 -> japan experienced this in 2011 when an
212.799 -> earthquake and tsunami struck its coast
214.879 -> killing more than 19 000 people and
217.12 -> sending three nuclear reactors at the
218.72 -> fukushima daiichi plant into meltdown
223.92 -> the reactors survived the quake but the
225.76 -> floods cut off power to the pump
227.36 -> that kept the fuel rods cool as
229.36 -> radiation leaked from the plant
230.959 -> authorities evacuated residents and set
233.04 -> up a 20 kilometer exclusion zone
237.28 -> with disasters like these it's no
239.04 -> surprise people find nuclear power
240.72 -> apocalyptic
242.64 -> but take a look at the numbers and that
245.12 -> fear doesn't hold up
248.48 -> compared to renewable sources of energy
250.72 -> nuclear has killed more people for each
252.56 -> terawatt hour of electricity that is
254.4 -> generated
255.16 -> [Music]
256.56 -> but let's put that in the context of
258.239 -> fossil fuels
259.759 -> the death rates from burning gas oil and
262.56 -> coal
263.6 -> make nuclear seem almost as safe as
265.36 -> solar or wind
267.199 -> that's because burning fossil fuels
268.639 -> releases toxic particles that damage our
270.479 -> lungs and hearts
271.759 -> the air pollution they cause kills an
273.12 -> estimated 8 million people a year
275.15 -> [Music]
276.639 -> comparing nuclear and coal is like
278.639 -> comparing planes and cars
280.32 -> while we obsess about plane crashes far
282.32 -> more people die on the road than in the
284.08 -> air for every kilometer they travel
286.24 -> but plane crashes make the headlines and
287.759 -> news bulletins and so they seem even
289.919 -> scarier
291.199 -> same goes for nuclear disasters
294.8 -> if you compare the nuclear industry with
297.04 -> all the other
297.919 -> industries certainly fossil fuels
301.28 -> uh the number of total fatalities is
304.72 -> really
305.44 -> minimum but there is a big catch here
308.8 -> they've only been a handful of nuclear
310.24 -> disasters in history and so one
312.08 -> catastrophic event could change the
313.919 -> whole discussion
315.28 -> on top of that the death toll from
317.039 -> today's nuclear may not tell the full
318.8 -> story because spent fuel rods stay
320.4 -> radioactive for tens of thousands of
322.4 -> years
323.199 -> but more on that point later the idea
326.24 -> that nuclear is safer than fossil fuel
328.16 -> alternatives is one reason why some
329.84 -> people are changing their minds about it
332.16 -> the bigger one is that in terms of
333.6 -> climate change nuclear is clean
336.16 -> its co2 emissions are about as low as
338 -> solar and wind over its lifetime
340 -> and it also provides a pretty constant
341.6 -> supply of electricity
343.199 -> as countries kick fossil fuels out of
344.72 -> their energy grids nuclear could provide
346.639 -> a steady base load for when the sun's
348.24 -> not shining and the winds not blowing
352.08 -> factors like these have gained nuclear
354 -> power some unlikely supporters
356.4 -> when a nuclear plant is shut down it is
358.24 -> replaced by fossil fuels that's bad
360.8 -> nuclear influences like this brazilian
362.56 -> model aren't common but
364.08 -> many environmentalists have made it
365.44 -> clear that they're friendlier to nuclear
366.88 -> than previous generations
370.24 -> i became a nuclear engineer in the first
372.08 -> place because i'm an environmentalist
374.479 -> ten years ago i changed my mind about
376 -> nuclear energy i realized that we needed
378.4 -> nuclear energy to solve climate
380.08 -> change and their biggest worry is that
382.639 -> quitting nuclear
384 -> means burning more fossil fuels
393.039 -> let's take a look at germany it's been
395.84 -> shutting down nuclear plants for decades
397.919 -> and is set to close its last one by
399.36 -> 2023.
400.88 -> its rapid nuclear phase-out is one of
402.88 -> the most infamous in the world
404.88 -> if you're here
415.84 -> this is german chancellor angela merkel
418 -> shortly after the fukushima nuclear
419.68 -> disaster
420.639 -> she's telling the country it's time to
421.919 -> switch off some old reactors
423.759 -> a few months after this speech she'll
425.68 -> announce that germany is pulling out of
427.52 -> nuclear energy entirely
429.599 -> cheered on by all the big political
430.96 -> parties and most of the public
432.8 -> but that decision may have proved costly
436 -> a study in 2019 estimated that quitting
438.319 -> nucleus slowed germany's coal exit so
440.4 -> much that it led to 1
441.759 -> 100 more deaths than expected from
443.759 -> breathing dirty air each year
445.44 -> the annual social cost is 12 billion
447.68 -> dollars
448.639 -> it's the same story in the u.s where
450.4 -> nuclear closures have propped up fossil
452.319 -> fuels in california and new york
456.4 -> nuclear advocates often use germany's
458.4 -> phase-out as the big example for why we
460.8 -> should keep plants open
463.199 -> but experts say that's only half the
465.599 -> story
467.039 -> germany's electricity emissions actually
469.199 -> later fell as renewables pushed coal out
471.52 -> of the mix
472.96 -> and energy experts say the massive
475.28 -> expansion of renewables was
477.12 -> only politically possible because the
478.639 -> government agreed to quit nuclear
483.52 -> you can argue it both ways but probably
486.319 -> germany would have been able to reduce
488 -> its emissions a bit quicker if it's
489.52 -> differently
490.319 -> but also that supported really the
492.479 -> uptake of renewables
494.4 -> also not only in germany but globally
497.28 -> this is muriel gonier
498.96 -> an expert on nuclear power in germany
500.639 -> france and japan
502.16 -> she says that investment in renewables
504 -> has made nuclear power less attractive
506.56 -> that's because there are cheaper and
507.68 -> cleaner alternatives to building new
509.28 -> nuclear plants
510.56 -> it's not the same as keeping existing
512.399 -> ones online for longer
514.08 -> but building new nuclear capacities as
516.959 -> it's a group now so it's very expensive
519.12 -> it's at least twice as expensive as
521.279 -> prolonging nuclear but there's also a
524 -> catch here
525.04 -> old reactors are more dangerous and need
526.88 -> to be retrofitted to stay
528.24 -> safe the longer their lives are extended
530.399 -> beyond their original design
532 -> the greater the risk that a piece of old
533.68 -> equipment breaks
535.12 -> countries like japan have struggled to
536.64 -> bring old reactors back online because
538.399 -> they keep failing safety tests
540.85 -> [Music]
543.68 -> this map shows where nuclear power
545.2 -> plants are being built around the world
546.88 -> and when they're expected to come online
549.6 -> most new plants are popping up in asia
551.2 -> as demand for power skyrockets
553.12 -> and countries like china commit to
554.56 -> cutting emissions to net zero by 2060.
557.36 -> this new generation of nuclear power
559.04 -> stations are designed to higher
560.16 -> standards of safety than previous
561.519 -> reactors
562.16 -> based on lessons learned from the big
563.44 -> disasters what hasn't changed
565.6 -> is what to do when a plant closes down
568.72 -> so let's recap closing nuclear plants
570.959 -> can make climate change worse if there
572.32 -> aren't renewables to pick up the slack
574.399 -> extending their lifetime would mean
576 -> retrofitting plants to make them safe
578.48 -> and building new ones costs a lot but
580.72 -> could help stabilize clean electricity
582.399 -> grids
584 -> but there's one big question we haven't
585.6 -> answered yet what about nuclear waste
588.64 -> it's a big reason why so many people are
590.08 -> against nuclear power in the first place
593.36 -> spent fuel rods stay radioactive for
595.519 -> tens of thousands of years
597.44 -> and it's not only the rods all the
599.36 -> concrete and metal exposed to radiation
601.279 -> can't just be thrown away
603.2 -> decommissioning a nuclear plant can take
605.2 -> decades
606.88 -> but the problem is even after 70 years
609.6 -> of nuclear power generation nobody has
611.6 -> found a proven way to get rid of the
613.12 -> waste for good
614.48 -> and some activists want to ban new
616.48 -> plants until that problem is sold
618.399 -> my name is john harpercomp nuclear
620.24 -> expert from greenpeace central eastern
621.68 -> europe
623.36 -> this is harvar camp on a boat in 2018
625.68 -> trying to stop a nuclear plant he fears
627.279 -> could end up dumping radioactive waste
629.2 -> into the ocean
631.04 -> nuclear waste is something even nuclear
632.72 -> advocates are sometimes unsure about
634.64 -> it's toxic radioactive and in the wrong
637.279 -> hands could even be used for radioactive
639.36 -> or dirty bombs
641.2 -> all these things come together in high
643.92 -> radioactive waste that needs to be kept
646 -> out of the environment for roughly up to
648 -> a million years
649.12 -> now that is a real big a real big
651.839 -> challenge
653.76 -> in 2019 a report by several german
655.92 -> environmental non-profit organizations
658.079 -> found that nuclear waste is being kept
659.68 -> in short-term storage facilities for
661.68 -> decades longer than black
663.68 -> and these temporary facilities were
665.36 -> never designed to hold the waste for so
667.04 -> long
667.36 -> that means that we leave this very
669.44 -> difficult problem
670.8 -> not to our grandchildren but to their
673.12 -> children and that's a multi-generational
675.519 -> problem
676.16 -> that that in my opinion um has only one
679.519 -> ethical answer and that is
681.12 -> stop making that waste
684.24 -> the industry solution for nuclear waste
686.48 -> to bury it deep underground
688.399 -> this means isolating the waste inside
690.16 -> rock or clay to stop radiation reaching
692 -> the surface
693.36 -> finland is set to open the world's first
695.04 -> deep geological storage facility in 2023
697.6 -> to permanently deal with its waste
701.04 -> everybody needs to do something and not
702.8 -> to leave it for the future generations
705.2 -> this is the company that designed the
708.64 -> facility
709.279 -> we think that deep in the finnish
712.079 -> bedrock
712.8 -> 450 meters deep in a kind of
716.24 -> concrete
718.02 -> [Music]
719.279 -> pile to petroc it's the safest place
723.2 -> to put them down there and
727.12 -> it's always better there than in
728.48 -> temporary storage is on the ground level
731.76 -> but if the sight perceiver is building
733.6 -> up all kiloto in western finland
735.839 -> is the only one in the world and it
738.079 -> hasn't even been built yet
740.079 -> can we really trust that the technology
741.68 -> will work forever
743.12 -> of course if it hasn't been started
745.68 -> there hasn't been a prototype but
747.6 -> it has been tested even in alkyl auto we
750.639 -> have been doing
751.36 -> 30 years of research and it's all kind
754.639 -> of
755.279 -> possible leaks and
758.639 -> things that might happen they are
760.72 -> considered
762.48 -> that might not convince
763.6 -> environmentalists worried about
764.88 -> contamination
765.839 -> and even potential terror attacks in the
767.76 -> distant future
769.279 -> but even they agree the idea needs
771.12 -> research
772.32 -> the world already has half a century's
774.32 -> worth of nuclear waste to deal with
776.72 -> so what does this all mean for us do we
778.72 -> really need nuclear power to stop
780.16 -> climate change
781.68 -> well it can certainly help nuclear is as
784.399 -> safe as renewable energy in terms of
786 -> lives lost
786.72 -> and could balance out a clean energy mix
788.72 -> for example when the wind's not blowing
790.24 -> or the sun's not shining
792 -> closing old plants is bad for the planet
793.6 -> if it means burning more fossil fuels
795.36 -> but building new ones is expensive and
797.519 -> we still can't be sure the waste won't
798.8 -> come back to hurt us in the future
802.399 -> the nuclear power debate doesn't have
804.24 -> easy answers
805.92 -> but we want to move the conversation
807.36 -> beyond lazy cliches
809.04 -> so let us know in the comments what role
810.88 -> you think nuclear should play in your
812.24 -> country's energy display
813.76 -> and don't forget to hit subscribe
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X00al1FsjM