In recent months, there has been an intensifying debate over whether Europe can still rely on US extended nuclear deterrence or should begin to consider alternatives that are independent of Washington. A binary approach - trust or no trust - is of limited analytical value here; the subject matter...

The United States under President Donald Trump has adopted an ambiguous position on European security. Although no immediate risk of abandonment is apparent, European countries are rethinking their defence strategies in case the US declines to support them, or provides only partial support, in a...

This study examines how economic growth, travel, global connection, and changes in population impact the environmental footprint in seven countries, including Russia, the US, China, France, the UK, Pakistan, and India, from 1995 to 2023. The results show a significant link between Granger’s...

The gender pension gap, the difference in pension entitlements between men and women, is 32 percent for 60-yearolds according to data from the German Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung). In addition, there is a considerable motherhood pension gap: Statutory pension entitlements for...

The U.S. nuclear industry has overcome a challenging period during which low wholesale market prices threatened the survival of nuclear power plants (NPPs). From 2017 to 2019, several U.S. states initiated out-of-market support schemes to bolster the financial conditions of NPPs. This paper...

This study analyzes the adoption and implementation of Türkiye's nuclear energy policy. Türkiye entered the nuclear energy league via the build-own-operate scheme, which has impeded the country's goals of technological development and national industry growth. The country has focused on...

In response to global challenges posed by climate change and the urgent need to transition toward sustainable energy sources, this study aims to understand societal risk perceptions associated with both established and emerging energy systems. Utilizing the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), a...

Using the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan, where about 456 nuclear tests occurred between 1949 and 1989, this paper examines the long-term health and well-being impacts of sustained radiation exposure. Results show that nuclear exposure significantly increases the risk of chronic disease...

Systematic analysis and evaluation of nuclear energy development serves as a cornerstone in shaping national nuclear science and technology strategies. This study undertakes a comparative investigation of global nuclear energy modeling paradigms, aiming to elucidate methodological strengths and...

Many governments consider new nuclear power plants to promote decarbonization. On the one hand, dispatchable nuclear plants can complement fluctuating generation from wind and PV. On the other hand, escalating construction costs and times raise economic concerns. This paper investigates the...

Following the suggestion by German federal ministries the Joint Research Centre (JRC) gathered relevant stakeholders for a series of workshops on maintaining and developing nuclear competences in Germany. On 6 June 2024 the series started with an online workshop format that was followed by two...

Ghana's energy transition illustrates the broader challenge of integrating renewable energy into fossil fuel-dependent economies. Despite successive policy commitments, the country has consistently prioritised fossil fuels and, more recently, nuclear power over new sources of renewable energy...

Purpose Nuclear energy is a contested topic, requiring trade-offs in energy independence, ethicality and uncertainty. Anthropogenic climate change complicates these decisions further, with nuclear energy competing with other low-carbon and sustainable energy sources. Decisions about nuclear...

"The war in Ukraine, with the exposure of nuclear power stations and the danger of atomic warfare, has made the legacy of the Soviet nuclear sector of critical importance. The two authors map the Soviet nuclear industry in a shifting historical context, making sense of a complex socio-technical...

Following the Russia-Ukraine war, the issue of energy security has once again surged to the forefront of global discussions. The disruption and threats to global energy security caused by the war have starkly exposed the vulnerability of energy supply chains, accentuating the pressing need for...

The disposal of contaminated water from Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant is a significant international nuclear safety issue with considerable cross-border implications. This matter requires compliance not only with the law of the sea but also with the principles of nuclear safety under...

The Japanese government's unilateral decision to discharge the nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean has caused immense nuclear safety risks. Monitoring the unclear-contaminated water is a starting point to combat these risks and seek remedies for the...

While heated debates in Europe have focused on how to respond if Donald J. Trump is re-elected to the White House, discussions in Australia, Japan, and South Korea reveal a greater sense of confidence in Washington's commitments. The fear that the United States would withdraw its nuclear...

While a second Trump Presidency would be challenging for transatlantic ties, US nuclear assurances to its NATO allies in Europe would likely be the last casualty - not the first - of a fraying relationship. There is an intrinsic incompatibility between the United States completely abandoning its...

This review discusses climate hazards and specific risks associated with existing and new nuclear power plants under global warming level futures, with an emphasis on water-based risks for plants that rely on traditional water-cooling processes. Projected hazards, including extreme heatwaves,...

The German electricity market has recovered well from the 2022 energy crisis. Policymakers should now redirect the focus of energy policy to further expanding renewable energy sources. The year 2023 showed that the German electricity supply remained secure following the shutdown of nuclear power...

Within the context of climate change mitigation plans for investments into new nuclear power plants are spreading. While several non-nuclear countries plan first light-water nuclear plants, countries such as the US invests several billions of dollars into the development of so called non-light...

The threat of the use of nuclear weapons by the aggressor is a significant factor in the ongoing war. Also in future, the Ukrainian government (any leadership) will be interested in its own nuclear weapons at least as long as Russia is ruled by an ill-predictable authoritarian regime. Nuclear...

As a zero-carbon technology, nuclear power is potentially useful to realize climatepolicyobjectives. It may however economically not be efficient to have such a typeof power plant in future electricity markets which are dominated by high shares ofrenewable generation. In this paper, we test this...

The health of the vulnerable populations receiving the Long-Term Care (LTC) Insurance Programs threatened by the direct and indirect effects of disasters. The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and the explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) forced the...

Replacing the US nuclear guarantee with a French nuclear umbrella for Europe would face major political and logistical challenges. Nevertheless, given the growing un­certainty in Europe and Asia, the German government should consider scenarios and options that go beyond today’s deterrence...

This paper reviews the case of nuclear energy. Currently, the worldworld is facing one of the greatest energy crises due to the Russo-Ukrainian war. This conflict has lead to limited sources of gas, causing a dramatic decrease in energy supply, leading to emerging energy crisis risks. This is...

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has the formidable task of verifying the peaceful use of nuclear materials across the globe through cooperative measures called international nuclear safeguards. The Agency’s conclusions about lack of diversion, misuse, and undeclared nuclear...

Most climate and energy scenarios created by international organizations and researchers include a considerable expansion of nuclear energy. In the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, for example, nuclear energy increases from a current 3,000 terawatt hours on average to over 6,000 terawatt hours in...

Rising industrialization, urbanization, and the vast economic size of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) are generating CO2 emissions, and these countries are struggling to deal with environmental degradation. Before it is too late, the BRICS need to identify variables that...