Climate needs new support for nuclear power

The Des Moines Register - 11:57 p.m. CDT - July 26, 2014 (Carol Heising)  Almost 30 years after James Hansen, NASA’s chief atmospheric scientist, warned Congress that the burning of fossil fuels leads to global warming, the evidence still points to one conclusion: Increasing the use of zero-carbon nuclear power must be part of the solution.

Hansen, along with other prominent climatologists, sees great value in using nuclear power to reduce carbon emissions.

Nuclear power, in one or more advanced designs, holds promise for the generation of abundant, clean and affordable electricity for the United States and the world. But although 70 nuclear plants are under construction overseas, just four new plants are being built in the United States.
Switching from coal to nuclear power in the production of base-load electricity that’s available 24/7 should be high on our agenda.

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