Nuclear power plants produce large amounts of electricity from small land areas

  • Nuclear energy plays an important role in preserving biodiversity, thanks to its uniquely small physical footprint.
  • Mining for coal to power fossil fuel generation plants can result in destruction of forests.

 

Human activities have transformed the face of our planet. Unsustainable practices in activities such as fuel extraction and agriculture, as well as climate change, pose a significant threat to biodiversity across the world.

The world’s forests are central to keeping climate change in check as they absorb a third of all carbon dioxide emissions. However, logging, land degradation and desertification threatens forests worldwide, which in turn results in additional desertification, degradation and biodiversity loss. Forests can also be threatened by coal mining. The Hamabacher Forest in the west of Germany has been almost completely destroyed by mining for lignite, which emits particularly high levels of carbon dioxide when burned.

In comparison to other low-carbon energy sources, nuclear power requires the smallest amount of land per unit energy produced, leaving more undisturbed land for natural habitats.

Nuclear techniques can be used to assess soil quality and study how crops take up nutrients. This helps in the development of more efficient soil management and crop production methods.

Experts can also track and stop contaminants from harming the environment, by using nuclear science to identify certain isotopes in different contaminants to measure their concentration and trace their source.

Back to menu


Share


You may also be interested in