@helenczerski The problem is, renewables alone aren't a viable replacement for fossil fuel energy production. That leaves either a hybrid approach (slow transition to renewables) or phasing out fossil fuel power plants for nuclear plants. The first one doesn't work because the added capacity from renewables just primes greater energy consumption and then nobody bothers to shut down the fossil fuel plants. The second doesn't work because NuCuLaR WaIsT FuKuShImA WARGARBLE and it's one of the very few issues where it's possible to pander to both environmentalists AND the oil companies at the same time.

One considers that you need 99% less uranium to run a power plant than you do to run a coal or natural gas-fueled powerplant, and that literally just leaves oil for those few nations that are still transitioning to electric vehicles (which they also can't actually do either without going nuclear).

TLDR: we either learn to split atoms and deal with the small amount of fuel and waste, or keep burning dinosaurs and (continue to not) deal with the HUGE amounts of fuel and waste that involves. But again: nuCuLaR WaIsT FuKuShImA WARGARBLE remains factor...