Nuclear production has been falling since 2005. The number of operating reactors is down 11.4% in a decade. Only 31 countries operate nuclear plants, and only 14 have plans to build new ones. Only 67 reactors were “under construction” in 2014, and eight of those projects have been under way for more than two decades. Global nuclear production “will nearly vanish by mid-century” without a “frenzy of new construction.” In six charts, derived from Mycle Schneider’s World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2014, vox.com traces the rise and fall of nuclear fission as a serious energy source. “The proportion of energy that the world gets from carbon-free sources has stagnated since 1999—in part because of the nuclear industry’s struggles,” Plumer writes. Nuclear critics would say the slowdown frees up capital for more affordable, distributed supply sources that don’t have a tendency to leak radiation, or any ability to melt down when a tsunami hits. (h/t Diane Beckett for pointing us to this story)
- Concise headlines. Original content. Timely news and views from a select group of opinion leaders. Special extras.
- Everything you need, nothing you don’t.
- The Weekender: The climate news you need.
