How would more nuclear energy have reduced CO2 emissions if it hadn’t been severely restricted the past 50 years?

If nuclear technology development had continued on its pre-1970s trajectory, we would most likely not be discussing the potential harmful consequences of CO2 emissions today as most electricity generation would be nuclear powered, not only in the U.S. but also in advanced and emerging economies around the world. The U.S. nuclear share of electricity production has hovered between 19-20% since 1990. Compare this with France which generated 70.6% of its electricity from nuclear in 2020.

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