Nuclear power’s zero-emissions profile is clashing with concerns over uranium mining, waste, and safety as clean-energy technologies compete for climate-conscious investors increasingly interested in putting money into green projects.
With growing interest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, the nuclear industry and its supporters want to ensure current and future reactors are weighed by such investors as a net benefit in the array of ESG frameworks sprouting up to define the scope of any energy project’s climate impact. The debate will shape whether nuclear is treated as a durable climate solution—or as a short-term technology that should be phased ...