"Our power, our planet" is the theme for the celebration of the 55th Earth Day, which is today. The organizers are calling for "renewable energy generation, globally, to be tripled by 2030." Consequently, they urge the billion or so Earth Day celebrants to "support and adopt the rapid transition to renewable energy sources now, be it solar, wind, hydro-electric, tidal or geothermal." Their goal is to cut back on burning coal, oil, and natural gas that emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, where it contributes to man-made climate change.
Entirely unmentioned by the earnest Earth Day activists is the emissions-free energy produced by "magic rocks," a.k.a. uranium, that fuel carbon-free nuclear power. Nuclear power plants currently produce about 9 percent of the world's electricity. Globally, nuclear energy is the second-largest source of carbon-free electricity, following hydropower. Nuclear power plants supply a steady stream of electricity, unlike intermittent solar and wind power.
To get some idea of the advantages of nuclear power, let's compare electricity production in Germany vs. France. In a ridiculous overreaction to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, Germany chose in 2011 to begin closing down 17 perfectly fine nuclear power plants. The last three were shut in 2023.
