Climate and environmental impact of nuclear power

Abstract

The report assesses nuclear energy’s role in the transformation to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It contrasts top-down net-zero pathways from five integrated assessment models with a comprehensive bottom-up review of national programmes, including newcomer countries, and benchmarks these against the COP28/29 pledge to triple nuclear capacity. It further analyses system requirements in renewables-dominated grids, climate-change risks to plant reliability, and a harmonised cradle-to-grave environmental footprint of nuclear power across 40 regional life-cycle chains (2020 and 2030). Severe-accident impacts and proliferation risks are discussed, and life-cycle costs and GHG abatement costs of new nuclear (incl. SMRs) are compared with wind and solar.