From a personal point of view, nuclear power plants are the way to go if the global power demand is to be met. According to an estimate by the United Nation in the coming years, the demand for energy will substantially increase owing to the growth in the global population, economy and the rate of urbanization being experienced on global scale. This growth, combined with industrial development and the expectation of the rising standards of living is expected to double the electricity consumption by 2030 (UNEP 18). A 2016 report by the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) indicated that the best source of energy that can help in achieving the future economic growth projection, energy security and environmental protection of Asian countries is the nuclear energy (Vivoda 159).
Nuclear energy offers the best opportunities to meet this demand while at the same time reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emitted through other sources of electricity. The need to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emitted while at the same time meeting the demand for energy forms the strongest arguments for nuclear energy. A climate scientist pointed out that the worst risks as a result of climate change can only be averted by keeping the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere below 550 parts per million (ppm), which is twice the pre-industrial level (Romm 269). At the moment, the emission of greenhouse gases continues to rise and the total concentration is increasing an accelerating rate. This rate can only be curbed through the introduction of a carbon-neutral source of energy such as hydroelectric power. However, the amount of power that can be generated from such a source is not enough to meet the current and future demand for energy. This makes nuclear energy the best option in power generation.
Taking into account the national population and the trends in the economic growth being experienced in different parts of the world, it can be concluded that the group of countries already relying heavily on nuclear power will unavoidably need to expand their nuclear power production plants if it is to make a significant to contribute to reduction of the number of greenhouse gases being emitted. An MIT study has indicated that achieving the overall level of nuclear deployment large enough to make a significant contribution to the reduction of the amount of greenhouse gas emitted requires continued large-scale nuclear development in countries like Japan and other advanced economies in Asia and the Middle East (Fuss et al.). This will also require a renewal of nuclear investment in Europe and revival of nuclear power in North America. The study also suggested the introduction of the nuclear program in other countries with a high population such as Mexico, Nigeria, Brazil, etc. Other attributing factors toward nuclear energy include the fact that a nuclear kilowatt-hour cannot be distinguished from a kilowatt-hour from solar or coal energy.
As such, nuclear power must also be economically competitive. Additionally, nuclear systems rely on passive designs to ensure their safety and therefore do not require regular intervention by a human as compared to other active systems. Use of passive systems like the one used in nuclear plants helps to reduce the risk of nuclear theft and terrorism as well as state-level nuclear weapons proliferation. In terms of scale, nuclear power plants are appropriate to the scale of the national electricity grid and other relevant institutional capabilities (Eiser, & van der Plig).
