“We spend billions of dollars looking for life on other planets, but we are spending trillions of dollars destroying life on this planet.” Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev. Can nuclear energy be the best energy alternative for saving our planet?

One of the primary concerns that is haunting the minds of top scientists and environmentalists around the world today is that of making use of nuclear energy to protect the environment instead of waging wars using it. Several researchers have expressed their fears of yet another nuclear attack, and this time, on a large scale.

While nuclear energy can give high output with a low-carbon discharge, people do not want another Hiroshima-Nagasaki tragedy, which makes it almost impossible to convince them that nuclear energy can also be green. The truth is that, way before modern physics could discover the other side of nuclear energy, Hindu scriptures mentioned that everything in the universe has an inner power (especially matter) that could be used for the benefit of life.

Hindu Scriptures as a source of the Truth

Some instances of how the ancient Indian philosopher ‘Sage Kanada’ founded the Vaiseshika school of Hindu philosophy and proposed the existence of atoms (Anu). He went on to explain that this matter, while indivisible, could be combined to bring the visible world that everyone sees today into existence. In other words, it was argued that rather than using the power of matter for destruction, it could be used to maintain the Cosmic Order (Dharma).

Aeons ago, the West saw the Mahabharata as a prediction of a nuclear winter, but the truth the scriptures admonish us about is that matter can be a double-edged sword. The truth is that the duty and responsibility of human beings is to use nuclear energy, not to create a column of smoke, but to help preserve the world and universe at large using nuclear energy.

In the modern world, green does not imply the use of nuclear energy in the same context as that of the 70’s, but rather as an environmentally friendly resource to fuel vehicles and more. With passive safety at hand, all that one needs to do is make the best use of it to protect lives. In other words, there are certain manually run systems which can maintain the core temperature of a nuclear power reactor without letting the nuclear energy wreak havoc. Just as a rocket uses the pressure of its own fuel to help it navigate through the plumbing, a passive reactor uses the heat of the nuclear core to manage its influxes and outflows. Yet again, since green nuclear reactors make use of liquid sodium or molten fluoride salts, they are safer than rocket systems, and the probability of the pipes exploding is very low. Furthermore, gravity assists nuclear reactors in that they do not need to use active systems to keep them from exploding, but rather passive systems, since gravity does not lose power or fail, unlike machinery and manmade systems (International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], 2020).

As people imagine the worst when one begins talking about nuclear energy, the truth is something else. In reality, it is not only one of the cleanest sources of energy, but also one of the most polite or sophisticated forms of energy. It does not emit carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, or even sulphur dioxide, unlike most other clean forms of energy. The carbon footprint of nuclear energy is, in fact, much lower than solar and the same as that of wind power, as noted by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (IPCC, 2014).

Why Nuclear is Clean?

The other advantage of using nuclear power as a fuel or energy source is that a nuclear power plant occupies barely 2% of the space that solar panels need. For example, generating 1000-megawatts, wind turbines requires roughly 360 square miles of land, a nuclear power plant requires only 1 square mile of land to operate to generate the same amount of power or energy (Strata, 2017). Moreover, since nuclear power plants occupy limited land, there is no need to deforest lands or destroy biodiversity, which in turn protects the environment further. Another truth about the sustainable nature of nuclear power, the waste (tonnes of toxic ash and carbon) generated by coal and gas is far more than that produced by nuclear energy (Kharecha & Hansen, 2013). Furthermore, nuclear energy can be recycled, in that the waste generated by it can be reused in the form of fuel. Solar panels and wind turbines need humongous batteries to store the energy they generate. On the other hand, when the weather changes, one does not have to wonder how to store the energy generated by the solar panels and wind turbines, since a nuclear grid can easily hold the same while functioning 365 days a year, non-stop. Moreover, one does not need to depend on gas to achieve the same. Heat from nuclear energy can be used to desalinate seawater and provide fresh water to drought-stricken areas, and areas where interstate and international water wars in India, Central Asia, Eurasia, etc., and water supply-related conflicts have arisen in the past around the world (Misra & Kupitz, 2004).

Table: IAEA PRIS: Nuclear Share of Electricity Generation

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (2026)

Conclusion

While people focus on the destructive or Ugra power of energy and fail to see the pleasant or Soumya side of the same, the truth is that the very same atom could be used to help support life on the earth while also helping fuel rocket missions to Mars and other planets. Rather than looking for signs of life on other planets, one could look forward to building a sanctuary for life on the Earth itself. One would no longer need to spend trillions of dollars on wars, searching for signs of life on other planets, or even war tools. Instead, one can invest in nuclear energy generation, which can both help sustain life on the earth while also protecting the planet using the very same energy source that comes from the sun. Furthermore, one can prevent geopolitical conflicts that have arisen due to the dearth of energy resources on the earth. Moreover, instead of spending lots of money on destroying fertile and green lands, one can simply make the best use of this quiet, clean, and safe source of energy for years to come.

Title Image courtesy: https://kids.earth.org/

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of India and the Defence Research and Studies.

Bibliography

International Atomic Energy Agency. (2020). Advances in small modular reactor technology developments. IAEA. https://www.iaea.org/publications/14739/advances-in-small-modular-reactor-technology-developments

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2014). Climate change 2014: Mitigation of climate change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press.

Kharecha, P. A., & Hansen, J. E. (2013). Prevented mortality and greenhouse gas emissions from historical and projected nuclear power. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(9), 4889–4895. https://doi.org/10.1021/es3051197

Strata. (2017). The footprint of energy: Land use of U.S. electricity production. https://www.strata.org/pdf/2017/footprints-of-energy.pdf

Vasudev, J. (2021). Karma: A yogi’s guide to crafting your destiny. Harmony.

Misra, B. M., & Kupitz, J. (2004). The role of nuclear desalination in meeting the potable water needs in water-stressed areas in the next decades. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/39205484348.pdf

International Atomic Energy Agency. (2026). Nuclear share of electricity generation in 2024–2025. Power Reactor Information System (PRIS). https://pris.iaea.org/pris/worldstatistics/nuclearshareofelectricitygeneration.aspx