Rebrand Nuclear

Nuclear energy suffers from a tragic branding problem. The technology is a carbon-free and reliable source of twenty-four-hour-per-day power. A single generator produces enough electricity to run all the homes in Philadelphia. And nuclear power has been in wide use around the world for generations.

Yet only 29% of Americans view it favorably, and 49% view it unfavorably, making it the most unpopular energy source after coal. Our apprehension toward this powerful clean energy source stems from isolated, highly infrequent incidents. In reality, nuclear power is one of the safest energy sources in the world, registering accident- and pollution-related death rates roughly 300 times lower than those of coal and oil, relative to their energy production.

It’s time for a rebrand.

96

Death Rates and Emissions from Energy Production

Deaths per terawatt-hour of energy production

Sources: Markandya & Wilkinson (2007) and Sovacool et al. (2016) via Our World in Data.