Why nuclear power is the answer to our looming climate crisis – by David Olive (Toronto Star – February 19, 2022)

https://www.thestar.com/business/

It is worrisome that by 2050, humanity might still be relying on fossil fuels for about 70 per cent of its energy consumption, down hardly at all from 80 per cent today.

Renewables, including hydropower, solar, wind and biofuels, will account for just 27 per cent of energy consumption by 2050, according to projections by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Climate scientists have warned that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by at least 45 per cent this decade to avoid climate-crisis catastrophe and be eliminated altogether by mid-century. It is difficult to imagine those goals being met, with the EIA forecasting that fossil fuel consumption will rise by another 27 per cent between 2020 and 2050.

Nuclear power is the chief means of providing the large amounts of safe, clean and reliable power needed over the next three decades. A decarbonizing economy switching to electricity — including a global fleet of electric vehicles — will push world power demand up by an estimated 47 per cent by 2050, the EIA predicts.

For the rest of this column: https://www.thestar.com/business/opinion/2022/02/19/why-nuclear-power-is-the-answer-to-our-looming-climate-crisis.html