TL;DR – Climate change is the biggest crisis human kind has faced in history as if affects absolutely everything and everyone. Therefore it is crucial to halt this change and rectify the damage we have done to our planet virtually any way we can, including increased reliance on nuclear power. Put simply, through human burning of fossil fuels, there is increased CO2 in our earth’s atmosphere. This increased CO2 causes global warming. This is because: ‘CO2 absorbs radiation and prevents heat from escaping from our atmosphere. The high amounts of atmospheric CO2 collects and stores heat and thus, disrupting weather patterns, causing global temperatures to increase and other climate changes.’ - https://www.viessmann.co.uk/heating-advice/what-are-carbon-emissions-and-why-do-they-matter The effects of climate change are as follows: - Ice is melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice. Much of this melting ice contributes to sea-level rise. - Rising temperatures are affecting wildlife and their habitats. Vanishing ice has challenged species in Antarctica. - As temperatures change, many species are on the move to less hospitable environments. - Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average. Yet some regions are experiencing more severe drought, increasing the risk of wildfires, lost crops, and drinking water shortages. - Some species—including mosquitoes, ticks, jellyfish, and crop pests—are thriving. - Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger. Floods and droughts will become more common. - Less freshwater will be available, since glaciers store about three-quarters of the world's freshwater. - Some diseases will spread, such as mosquito-borne malaria. - Ecosystems will continue to change: Some species will move farther north or become more successful; others, such as polar bears, won’t be able to adapt and could become extinct. (Above facts found here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/global-warming-effects) For these reasons, it is an unignorable and critical necessity to reduce our carbon emissions. The biggest contributor of CO2 into our atmosphere is electricity generating powerplants burning fossil fuels. And while there are other way of generating electricity in ways that produce less CO2 (eg. Wind farms, solar power, tidal power etc.) nuclear fission is by far the most efficient way of producing electricity as it is not dependent on the sun, wind or tide and can be running generating electricity 24/7. Nuclear power undoubtably has its challenges for example radioactive waste disposal, high costs and public perceptions. But the climate crisis has been pushed so far that we are left with few alternatives that allow us to preserve our planet and our ecosystems. 40/50 years ago I think that this would’ve been a choice or a debate but realistically, we are too far gone to not include nuclear fission in our carbon reduction toolset. Further sources: https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/advantages-and-challenges-nuclear-energy https://sciencing.com/the-top-10-causes-of-global-warming-12512484.html

**Nuclear energy has the potential to become a leading source of clean energy. However, we should not so easily discard the dangers of implementing this regime on a larger scale.** There are several [benefits](https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/advantages-and-challenges-nuclear-energy) to using nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels, namely: • It is a clean energy source which produces more than half of the US’ emissions-free electricity every year; • It is the most reliable energy source, for example in 2019, nuclear plants in the US operated at full power for more than 92% of the time; • The nuclear energy industry will create more jobs. However, one should be incredibly cautious as to how quickly nuclear energy is incorporated into the carbon reduction regime. The world has already witnessed the devastating long-term effects of an improper use of nuclear energy, such as the attacks on Fukushima and Nagasaki, as well as the accident in Chernobyl. In light of this, states need to invest extensively in developing technologies which can safely [produce, maintain and dispose of nuclear energy](https://springpowerandgas.us/the-pros-cons-of-nuclear-energy-is-it-safe/) at a world-wide commercial level. Moreover, the world-wide production of nuclear energy needs to be met with the political assurance among the international community that it will not be used for ill.