Editing Nuclear power (section)

=== Carbon emissions ===
{{See also|Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of energy sources}}
{{Further|#Historic effect on carbon emissions}}
{{climate change mitigation|Energy}}

[[File:CO2 Emissions from Electricity Production IPCC.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of electricity supply technologies, median values calculated by [[IPCC]]<ref name="IPCC 2014 Annex III" />]]
Nuclear power is one of the leading [[low carbon power generation]] methods of producing [[electricity]], and in terms of [[Life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions of energy sources|total life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy generated]], has emission values comparable to or lower than [[renewable energy]].<ref name="Nrel.gov">{{cite web |url=http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/sustain_lca_nuclear.html | title=Nuclear Power Results – Life Cycle Assessment Harmonization| quote=Collectively, life cycle assessment literature shows that nuclear power is similar to other renewable and much lower than fossil fuel in total life cycle GHG emissions. |publisher=nrel.gov |author= [[National Renewable Energy Laboratory]] (NREL) |date=2013-01-24 |access-date=2013-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702205635/http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/sustain_lca_nuclear.html |archive-date=2013-07-02 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/sustain_lca_results.html | title=Life Cycle Assessment Harmonization Results and Findings. Figure 1 | publisher=NREL | access-date=2016-09-08 | archive-date=2017-05-06 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506114117/http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/sustain_lca_results.html }}</ref> A 2014 analysis of the [[carbon footprint]] literature by the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] (IPCC) reported that the embodied [[Life cycle assessment|total life-cycle]] [[emission intensity]] of nuclear power has a median value of 12{{nbsp}}g {{CO2}}[[carbon dioxide equivalent|eq]]/[[kilowatt-hour|kWh]], which is the lowest among all commercial [[baseload]] energy sources.<ref name="IPCC 2014 Annex III">{{cite web |url=https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf |title=IPCC Working Group III – Mitigation of Climate Change, Annex III: Technology–specific cost and performance parameters |year=2014 |publisher=IPCC |at=table A.III.2 |access-date=2019-01-19 |archive-date=2018-12-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214164438/https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="report.mitigation2014.org">{{cite web |url=https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-ii.pdf |title=IPCC Working Group III – Mitigation of Climate Change, Annex II Metrics & Methodology. |year=2014 |publisher=IPCC |at=section A.II.9.3 |access-date=2019-01-19 |archive-date=2021-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423212531/https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-ii.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> This is contrasted with [[coal]] and [[natural gas]] at 820 and 490&nbsp;g {{CO2}} eq/kWh.<ref name="IPCC 2014 Annex III" /><ref name="report.mitigation2014.org" /> As of 2021, nuclear reactors worldwide have helped avoid the emission of 72 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide since 1970, compared to coal-fired electricity generation, according to a report.<ref name="Kharecha Pushker A 2013 4889–4895" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://world-nuclear.org/getmedia/264c91d4-d443-4edb-bc08-f5175c0ac6ba/performance-report-2021-cop26.pdf.aspx |title=World nuclear performance report 2021 |publisher=World Nuclear Association |access-date=2022-04-19 |archivedate=2022-04-03 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403142850/https://world-nuclear.org/getmedia/264c91d4-d443-4edb-bc08-f5175c0ac6ba/performance-report-2021-cop26.pdf.aspx |url-status=deviated }}</ref>