Is nuclear fusion environmentally friendly compared to other sources of energy?

Question

Compare to other forms of nuclear energy, such as nuclear fission, is fusion energy more environmentally friendly? Does it produce as much radioactive nuclear waste as fission? Is it significantly more environmentally friendly than fossil fuel like oil and coal?

Answer 1

yes fusion is better than fission. However the new gen 4 reactors using fission can produce alternative fuel sources when at  this current stage fusion can not. Here is the other side and very little is known...nuclear waste is recyclable.  However we would be using  fossil fuels in uranium and plutonium. On the bright side...we have all those war heads that we can recycle!!!!

Answer 2

from what i've heard, yes. it is environmentally friendly, but there are problems with using nuclear power plants rather then organic resources. it has already happened, but the risk of the core being exposed it always there. i'm not sure if it does produce the same amount of radioactive waste as fission and i don't know if it is better then using coal or oil. im sorry that i couldn't answer all of your questions, but i hope i did help shine some light on the topic. :)

Answer 3

It surely signifucally more environmental friendly than fossil fuel because fossil fuel you dig,you burn into electricity.But nuclear,you dig,you process and you turn it into energy.

Nuclear fission-using radioactive substances to product energy

Nuclear fusion-using Deuterium atom and Tritium and fuse together in the process created Helium and Neutron.

So,obviously,nuclear fusion is better but scientist still working on in to control the power.

Answer 4

Probably not significantly.

The radioactive wastes from fusion decays a lot faster than even the best we could get from fission (which would involve breeder reactors) and there is less of it although even then the waste problem of fission is vastly exaggerated.

OTOH fission is in a way better since we have it right now and can start replacing fossil fuels with it while fusion is a future technology that we'll probably have to wait a couple of decades for, success is likely with fusion eventually but we shouldn't be counting on it as the solution to our problems (but we should fund it properly and be ready to embrace it when it is working).

"Is it significantly more environmentally friendly than fossil fuel like oil and coal?"

What isn't?