This online course from The Open University explores the benefits and drawbacks of nuclear energy and how alternative energy adoption may proceed in the 21st century.

Nuclear energy is a divisive subject. We all want clean, cheap energy, but proposals for new nuclear power plants conjure up fears of three-eyed fish and radioactive waste that stays active for thousands of years.

Countries around the globe are implementing nuclear energy, and, as with all energy options, there are benefits and drawbacks. We need to realistically assess our options if we want to live sustainably on this planet.

Nuclear Power: Friend or Foe? is an adapted extract from The Open University's course, Earth in Crisis.

By examining the current social, political, and technological state of nuclear energy and how our power grid may evolve in the future, this course covers both sides of the nuclear power debate.