nuclear throne together preformance issues

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognised that by nature, the SDGs are “integrated and indivisible”. To disaggregate the bold ambitions of the 2030 Agenda, the UN agreed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be used to guide and gauge progress.įigure 2: The UN's Sustainable Development Goals More energy, lower emissions In 2015, the 193 member states of the United Nations (UN) adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity, aligned to the three pillars of sustainability. For an activity, product or entity to be truly sustainable, it must achieve environmental, economic and social sustainability in balance: the three 'pillars'.įigure 1: The three 'pillars' of sustainability Sustainable development is therefore the pathway to sustainability.

'Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” Defining Sustainable DevelopmentĪ number of definitions have been put forward for sustainable development, but the most widely quoted is from the 1987 Brundtland Report 1: By expanding its use, modern and affordable energy can be provided to all who currently lack access, whilst reducing the human impact on the natural environment, and ensuring that the world’s ability to meet its other sustainable development goals is not curtailed. Using nuclear energy has numerous sustainability advantages relative to alternative forms of generation. More broadly, however, the proposition of nuclear power as a sustainable energy source is fundamentally robust due to its innate energy density, and its internalisation of health and environmental costs. As such, any energy technology’s compatibility with sustainable development objectives must be assessed in relative terms – in the light of the alternatives.Īs the only proven, scalable and reliable low-carbon source of energy, nuclear power will be required to play a pivotal role if the world is to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels to address climate change and chronic air pollution. For example, whilst low-carbon sources of energy do not emit carbon dioxide at the point of use, they are responsible for emissions and waste during construction, manufacturing and decommissioning. There is no technology that is fully without risk to people or the environment. The resulting dual challenge – the need to reduce harmful emissions, whilst providing more energy to more people – positions the energy sector at the heart of achieving sustainable development. The continued use of fossil fuels therefore has profound intra- and intergenerational social, economic and environmental implications. However, unregulated emissions from the combustion of fuels are causing climate change, environmental damage, and the premature death of an estimated 7 million people each year. The key question, therefore, is: how should that energy be supplied? At present, over 80% of primary energy consumption is from the burning of oil, gas and coal – unchanged since 1990. For that figure to rise to 15%, global energy consumption would increase by the equivalent of an additional United States’ worth of demand. But doing so will increase overall energy demand: at present, the world’s poorest 4 billion people consume just 5% of the amount of energy enjoyed by those living in developed economies. Up to about 100 GJ per capita consumption – a level yet to be reached by 80% of the world’s population – a country can fundamentally enhance the health, educational standards, and general wellbeing of its population by consuming more energy.Īny transition towards a more equitable and sustainable future must therefore be predicated on delivering the benefits of access to modern, affordable and reliable energy services to all. The relationship between energy consumption and human development is clear. Today, in the context of the framework of sustainable development – and in particular concerns about climate change and environmental degradation – the picture is more complex. Until about 30 years ago, sustainability from the perspective of energy supply was thought of simply in terms of the availability of fuel relative to the rate of use. As a concept it is holistic, considering equity across countries and generations, and requiring the balancing of often-competing environmental, social and economic factors. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.

Nuclear Energy and Sustainable Development

Nuclear throne together preformance issues