The push for nuclear energy in Australia is driven by delay and denial, not evidence

Nuclear energy has a role in places that already use it, such as France. But no case has been made for Australian nuclear within a rapid energy transition. Photograph: Benoît Tessier/Reuters

The vague, ideological push for nuclear energy backed by the Coalition and News Corp and given legitimacy this week on the ABC’s Q+A should be treated as what it is: the latest step in a decades-long campaign of delay and denial on the climate crisis.

Nuclear energy likely has a role to play in the global shift to zero-emissions energy in places that already use it or that have few other options. As with other technology, its role may grow or recede over time as the world moves. This stuff is going to change.