Solomon, Erika, and Melissa Eddy. “Breaking Taboo, Germany Extends Life of 2 Nuclear Reactors.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Sept. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/05/world/europe/germany-extend-life-nuclear-reactors.html.

Energy shortages in Europe have made it clear that Europeans need an alternative source of energy to coal, natural gas or renewables. As a result, Germany is planning on extending the service life of two of its nuclear power plants in order to preserve them as a strategic energy source into the future. This need was heightened by the conflict in Ukraine which cut off natural gas supplies in Europe and nearly caused widespread energy shortages.  

I think this article does a good job of showing the dangers in conventional non-renewable sources of energy, especially since we typically buy them from autocratic or dictatorial regimes. In the past, these regimes have been tenuous allies or tactic partners however in periods of heightened crisis, depending on countries like Russia to be our energy suppliers is more than just a climate risk, it’s a national security issue. Nuclear energy is one strong alternative to these imperiled fossil fuels, providing a dependable source of energy that can rapidly scale to meet demand, albeit at a higher cost.