The dynamic relationship between nuclear energy, CO2 emissions, and economic growth: evidence from the richest countries in Europe and Asia.

This study examines the dynamic relationship between the share of nuclear energy, growth in CO2 emissions, and GDP growth for the wealthiest countries of the two continents, Europe and Asia, from 1965 to 2021. The results from the SVAR model show a significant positive relationship between GDP growth and the growth of CO2 emissions in all countries. However, the values of the coefficients vary in the case of different countries of both continents. Further, it has been observed that the relationship between the growth of nuclear energy and the growth in CO2 emissions is more complex and varies from country to country. The results indicate that there is a strong negative relationship between nuclear energy and CO2 emissions in France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and India. At the same time, there is no significant relationship between Germany, Italy, and China. Finally, the result shows that there is an insignificant relationship between the growth in the share of nuclear energy and the GDP growth rate. From the policy perspective, this study suggests that alternative energy sources like nuclear energy can be leveraged to obtain a clean environment.

Can technological progress, renewable and nuclear energy consumption be the remedy for global climate crises? An examination of leading OECD countries.

Energy is the most critical input for production and consumption. The inputs of energy cause irreversible damage to the environment. The studies carried out to reduce the environmental impact of the methods used in energy production are extremely valuable. This study aims to reveal the effects of technological development, nuclear energy consumption, and renewable energy use on environmental degradation. The patent numbers, technological development, GDP, renewable energy, and nuclear energy consumption data of 16 OECD countries covering the years 1996-2019 were used in the empirical analysis. The findings of panel FMOLS and DOLS methods reveal that technological progress, nuclear, and renewable energy consumption significantly reduce CO2 emissions. In line with these findings, critical policy implications have been suggested.

Distribution and migration of uranium, chromium, and accompanying metal(loid)s in soil-plants system around a uranium hydrometallurgical area.

The extraction and utilization of uranium (U) ores have led to the release of significant amounts of potentially toxic metal(loid)s (PTMs) into the environment, constituting a grave threat to the ecosystem. However, research on the distribution and migration mechanism of U, chromium (Cr), and their accompanying PTMs in soil-plant system around U hydrometallurgical area remains insufficient and poorly understood. Herein, the distribution, migration, and risk level of PTMs were evaluated in soil and plant samples around U hydrometallurgical area, Northern Guangdong, China. The results demonstrated that the maximum content of U and Cr found in the analyzed soils were up to 84.2 and 238.9 mg/kg, respectively. These values far exceed the soil background values in China and other countries. The highest content of U (53.6 mg/kg) was detected in Colocasia antiquorum Schott, and the highest content of Cr (349.5 mg/kg) was observed in Pteridium aquilinum, both of which were enriched in their roots. The risk assessment of PTMs demonstrated that the study area suffered from severe pollution (PN > 3), especially from U, Cr, Th, and As, suggesting the non-negligible anthropogenic impacts. Hence, in light of the significant ecological hazard posed by the U hydrometallurgical area, it is imperative to implement appropriate restoration measures to ensure the human health and maintain the stability of the ecosystem.

Harnessing Nuclear Energy to Gold Nanoparticles for the Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy of Glioblastoma.

Nuclear fission reactions can release massive amounts of energy accompanied by neutrons and γ photons, which create a mixed radiation field and enable a series of reactions in nuclear reactors. This study demonstrates a one-pot/one-step approach to synthesizing radioactive gold nanoparticles (RGNP) without using radioactive precursors and reducing agents. Trivalent gold ions are reduced into gold nanoparticles (8.6-146 nm), and a particular portion of 197Au atoms is simultaneously converted to 198Au atoms, rendering the nanoparticles radioactive. We suggest that harnessing nuclear energy to gold nanoparticles is feasible in the interests of advancing nanotechnology for cancer therapy. A combination of RGNP applied through convection-enhanced delivery (CED) and temozolomide (TMZ) through oral administration demonstrates the synergistic effect in treating glioblastoma-bearing mice. The mean survival for RGNP/TMZ treatment was 68.9 ± 9.7 days compared to that for standalone RGNP (38.4 ± 2.2 days) or TMZ (42.8 ± 2.5 days) therapies. Based on the verification of bioluminescence images, positron emission tomography, and immunohistochemistry inspection, the combination treatment can inhibit the proliferation of glioblastoma, highlighting the niche of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) attributed to RGNP and TMZ.

The dynamic relationships between nuclear energy consumption, nuclear reactors and load capacity factor: time and frequency domain panel data analysis.

Nuclear energy is an environmental issue that needs to be carefully considered regarding its consequences. The environmental effects of nuclear energy encompass a complex interplay of factors, ranging from managing radioactive waste to the potential for accidents, emissions, and resource depletion, necessitating a thorough examination of its impact on our planet. This study examines the relationships between nuclear energy, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and load capacity factor for the eight countries (Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Spain, USA) that consumed the most nuclear energy from 1993 to 2018 using the time (Emirmahmutoglu & Kose, 2011) and frequency domain (Croux & Reusens, 2013) panel causality tests. The results differ according to time and frequency domain causality tests. While the time-domain causality test results showed no causal relationship between the nuclear energy consumption, nuclear reactors, and the load capacity factor variables, the frequency-domain causality test revealed that there are causal relationships between these variables in the short, intermediate and long run. According to the frequency-domain causality test results, there is a bidirectional causality relationship between nuclear reactors, energy consumption and load capacity factor. In line with the main findings of this study, it is recommended that these countries implement effective policies to increase environmental quality and make investments and incentives in nuclear energy and technologies.

Conjugated Microporous Polymers Based on Octet and Tetratopic Linkers for Efficient Iodine Capture.

Radioactive iodine from nuclear waste poses a huge threat to public safety and raises concerns about environmental pollution. There is thus a growing demand for developing novel adsorbents for highly effective iodine capture. In this work, we design and synthesize three novel conjugated microporous polymers, namely, TPE-PyTTA-CMP, TPE-TAPP-CMP, and TPE-TPDA-CMP, which are constructed by an imidization reaction based on octet and tetratopic linkers. The iodine vapor adsorption experiments show that the three CMPs have an excellent iodine adsorption capacity as high as 3.10, 3.67, and 4.68 g·g-1 under 348 K and ambient pressure conditions, respectively. The adsorbed iodine in the CMPs can be released into methanol in a dramatically rapid manner, and their excellent iodine adsorption performance can still be maintained after multiple cycles. In addition, the CMPs demonstrate good adsorption performance in an n-hexane solution of iodine, and the kinetic experimental data follow the pseudo-second-order model. The hierarchical porosity, extended π-conjugated skeleton, and rich electron-donor nitrogen sites of the CMPs could contribute to their excellent iodine adsorption performance. The knowledge information obtained in this work could open up new possibilities for designing novel CMPs targeting a wide range of environment-related applications.

Formulating sustainable development policies for China within the framework of socioeconomic conditions and government stability.

Improvement in the environmental quality has been seen as a major concern worldwide, and a crucial agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). In this study, we examined the causal impacts of economic growth, financial development, nuclear energy, government stability, and socioeconomic conditions on the environmental quality of China, using quarterly data, covering the period 1984-2018. We used different proxies for environmental quality, i.e., Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, ecological footprints, and load capacity factor, and a unique methodology named Fourier quantile causality, recently recommended by Cheng et al. (2021), for the first time in case of China. We find that nuclear energy, and government stability are positively causing the environmental quality, while economic growth, financial development, and socioeconomic conditions are degrading the environmental quality in China, since they are linked with increased income and energy consumption. Furthermore, all the explanatory variables are largely sensitive on different quantiles to affect the environmental quality; however, economic growth is a highly causing environmental degradation. Our study suggests that increasing nuclear energy consumption along with green financial measures that simultaneously support economic growth and socioeconomic conditions can be effective tools for improving environmental quality and realizing the SDGs in China.

Tritium: Its relevance, sources and impacts on non-human biota.

Tritium (3H) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is abundantly released from nuclear industries. It is extremely mobile in the environment and in all biological systems, representing an increasing concern for the health of both humans and non-human biota (NHB). The present review examines the sources and characteristics of tritium in the environment, and evaluates available information pertaining to its biological effects at different levels of biological organisation in NHB. Despite an increasing number of publications in the tritium radiobiology field, there exists a significant disparity between data available for the different taxonomic groups and species, and observations are heavily biased towards marine bivalves, fish and mammals (rodents). Further limitations relate to the scarcity of information in the field relative to the laboratory, and lack of studies that employ forms of tritium other than tritiated water (HTO). Within these constraints, different responses to HTO exposure, from molecular to behavioural, have been reported during early life stages, but the potential transgenerational effects are unclear. The application of rapidly developing "omics" techniques could help to fill these knowledge gaps and further elucidate the relationships between molecular and organismal level responses through the development of radiation specific adverse outcome pathways (AOPs). The use of a greater diversity of keystone species and exposures to multiple stressors, elucidating other novel effects (e.g., by-stander, germ-line, transgenerational and epigenetic effects) offers opportunities to improve environmental risk assessments for the radionuclide. These could be combined with artificial intelligence (AI) including machine learning (ML) and ecosystem-based approaches.

Disaggregated energy use and socioeconomic sustainability within OECD countries.

This study investigates the relationship between disaggregated energy use, human development, trade openness, economic growth, urbanization, and sustainability index in OECD countries from 2014 to 2019. Static, quantile, and dynamic panel data approaches are employed. The findings reveal that fossil fuels such as petroleum, solid fuels, natural gas, and coal decrease sustainability. On the contrary, alternative sources such as renewable and nuclear energy seem to contribute positively to sustainable socioeconomic development. It is also interesting to note that alternative energy sources strongly influence socioeconomic sustainability in the lower and upper quantiles. Also, the human development index and trade openness improve sustainability, while urbanization seems to be an obstacle in complying with sustainability goals within OECD countries. Policymakers should revisit their strategies toward sustainable development by mitigating fossil fuels and urbanization and promoting human development, trade openness, and alternative energy sources as drivers of economic progress.

Nuclear energy: Twitter data mining for social listening analysis.

Knowing the presence, attitude and sentiment of society is important to promote policies and actions that influence the development of different energy sources and even more so in the case of an energy source such as nuclear, which has not been without controversy in recent years. The purpose of this paper was to conduct a social listening analysis of nuclear energy using Twitter data mining. A total of 3,709,417 global tweets were analyzed through the interactions and emotions of Twitter users throughout a crucial year: 6 months before and 6 months after the beginning of Russian invasion of Ukraine and the first attack on the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The research uses a novel approach to combine social network analysis methods with the application of artificial neural network models. The results reveal the digital conversation is influenced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, tweets containing personal opinions of influential people also manage to enter the digital conversation, defining the magnitude and direction of the debate. The digital conversation is not constructed as a public argument. Generally, it is a conversation with non-polarized communities (politics, business, science and media); neither armed conflict or military threats against Zaporizhzhia NPP succeed in rousing anti-nuclear voices, even though these events do modify the orientation of the sentiment in the language used, making it more negative.

Using Nuclear Energy for Maritime Decarbonization and Related Environmental Challenges: Existing Regulatory Shortcomings and Improvements.

In recent years, the use of nuclear energy as propulsion for merchant ships has been proposed as a means of promoting the transition toward maritime decarbonization and environmentally sustainable shipping. However, there are concerns that nuclear-powered merchant ships could pose risks to the marine environment in the event of accidents, such as collisions, machinery failure or damage, fire, or explosions. The current international regulatory framework for nuclear-powered merchant ships is insufficient to address these risks. This research aims to address this gap by conducting a policy analysis of the existing regulations and a critical examination of their effectiveness in addressing the environmental risks of nuclear-powered merchant ships. Through this analysis, the study identifies the shortcomings and insufficiencies in the current framework and explores potential solutions to improve it, with the goal of enhancing the international community's ability to mitigate the potential impacts of radioactive marine pollution from nuclear-propelled ships in an era of maritime decarbonization.

Aspects of Applied Chemistry Related to Future Goals of Safety and Efficiency in Materials Development for Nuclear Energy.

The present paper is a narrative review focused on a few important aspects and moments of trends surrounding materials and methods in sustainable nuclear energy, as an expression of applied chemistry support for more efficiency and safety. In such context, the paper is focused firstly on increasing alloy performance by modifying compositions, and elaborating and testing novel coatings on Zr alloys and stainless steel. For future generation reactor systems, the paper proposes high entropy alloys presenting their composition selection and irradiation damage. Nowadays, when great uncertainties and complex social, environmental, and political factors influence energy type selection, any challenge in this field is based on the concept of increased security and materials performance leading to more investigations into applied science.

The ingredients of a successful atomic exhibition in Cold War Italy.

The organization of the mobile atomic exhibition, Mostra Atomica, designed by the United States Information Service to travel through Italy in 1954-55, had to meet technical, scientific, artistic, and political challenges. The head of the group in charge of the exhibition was architect Peter G. Harnden whose pedigree in the intelligence and training in architecture were an ideal match for leading the unit dedicated to exhibitions. The political sensitivity of the Mostra Atomica also required the intervention of the Italian Ministry of the Interior to guarantee safe mobility and secure shows. In every major town, American and British diplomats attended the local opening ceremony, while the very symbol of science diplomacy was Enrico Fermi, whose recorded message praised international cooperation. All in all, the USIS campaign promoting peaceful applications of nuclear physics was successful in reaching and involving Italian society. Visual and spatial aesthetics were particularly relevant: the geometrical design of the exposition rooms conveyed a strong sense of modernity that contrasted with the artistic heritage of Italian cities. The present article is based on archival files, newspaper reports, and photographs that document who was responsible for planning, setting up, and reporting this Cold War propaganda event.

Celebrating the Czechoslovak atom: from 'Atoms for Peace' to Expo 58.

The Czechoslovak-Soviet exhibition 'Atoms for Peace' was held in Prague and Bratislava in 1956. This exhibition became a symbol of Czechoslovak-Soviet 'friendship' and Soviet influence on the Czechoslovak nuclear programme. At the Brussels World's Fair in 1958 (Expo 58), one of the most popular Czechoslovak exhibits was the betatron, which would become a symbol of Czechoslovak nuclear pride. The article analyzes the planning, creation and reception of these two exhibitions, as well as the popular image of the Czechoslovak betatron in the Czechoslovak press and literature of that time. It shows how, in Czechoslovakia, the paradigm of Czechoslovak-Soviet friendship and Soviet dominance converged and became entangled with the effort to present Czechoslovakia as an industrially developed country capable of building the nation's nuclear industry (partly) on its own. One of the results of this entanglement was the betatron - a highly successful and celebrated Czechoslovak nuclear exhibit that captivated both domestic and international audiences.

Role of nuclear energy in carbon mitigation to achieve United Nations net zero carbon emission: evidence from Fourier bootstrap Toda-Yamamoto.

In this communication, the time series data of three major countries USA, France, and Japan from 1965 to 2020 for CO2 emission, GDP, and nuclear energy (NE) are evaluated. It also analyzed and validated the EKC hypothesis while using nuclear energy for electricity generation. Fourier ARDL is used to investigate the hypothesis criteria, and the Fourier bootstrap Toda-Yamamoto (FBTY) causality test is used for causal linkage between the variables as well as the wavelet coherence; it is also presented the time and frequency dependency of the variables. The CO2 mitigation by using the NE is also assessed for all three countries and assessed that the France, Japan, and USA mitigated the CO2 per year is 0.0463 million metric ton (MMT), 0.0239 and 0.0728 MMT per year respectively. Similar to that the SO2 is reduced by using the NE is 24.322, 43.527, and 132.592 MMT/year, and NOx is reduced by approximately 0.2847, 0.147, and 0.4478 MMT/year by France, Japan, and USA respectively by applying the NE for power generation. The evidence of the EKC, Fourier bootstrap and Toda-Yamamoto clarifies the important role of nuclear energy in terms of carbon mitigation to achieve UN net zero carbon emission by 2050. Hence, in order to meet the UN target of net zero carbon emission by 2050, the USA and Japan should increase the production of nuclear energy as France meets its 74.1% energy demand through NE by validating the EKC hypothesis; on the other hand, all the three countries should increase the production of tidal energy due to their geographical location as tides are much more predictable than wind and sun keeping in consideration to the expenses incurred and a full proof plan for disposing NE residuals in a safe place as NE residuals are highly radioactive and contains traces of thorium and uranium.

An empirical investigation of the relationships between nuclear energy, economic growth, trade openness, fossil fuels, and carbon emissions in France: fresh evidence using asymmetric cointegration.

The intention behind the current analysis is to join the debate over the main factors to consider in the global fight against climate change. Thereby, the Non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) approach is applied to assess the impacts of nuclear energy, fossil fuels, income, and trade on carbon emissions in France from 1980 to 2020. In addition, the relevance of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) presumption is tested. The main results stipulate that nuclear energy lessens CO2 emissions in France. However, fossil fuels and trade openness enhance these emissions. On the other hand, the current analysis confirms the presence of an inverted U-shaped curve relating economic growth to carbon emissions. Therefore, the EKC hypothesis is supported in our case. Indeed, by calculating the turning point, it is possible to extract the turning year corresponding to 2008. Furthermore, an asymmetric causality test is performed in order to identify the possible non-linear causal links between the potential drivers of carbon emissions. First, the causal linkage between CO2 emissions and GDP is bidirectional. Furthermore, a unidirectional causal link between CO2 emissions and non-renewable energies and a dual directional causal link between pollutant emissions and trade are identified. These empirical results are intended to guide the French government in the implementation of relevant energy and trade-related strategies in order to attain the ambitious targets of carbon emissions reduction. In fact, France should reduce imports of fossil fuels to curtail the positive effect of trade on carbon emissions. In addition, it is recommended to substitute fossil energies with renewable energies gradually by using adequate instruments and boosting research and innovation to mitigate the adverse influences of non-renewable energies on environmental quality. Finally, our findings confirm the positive role played by nuclear energy in the fight against climate change.

Role of energy consumption and sustainability-oriented eco-innovation on economic growth: evidence from Middle Eastern economy.

Economic growth is a global requirement that requires extensive energy consumption, and this phenomenon needs researchers' attention and regulators' focus. Thereby, the paper scrutinizes the determinants of energy consumption such as fossil fuel energy consumption (FFEC), energy use, nuclear energy consumption (NEC), energy import, and renewable energy consumption (REC) and sustainability-oriented eco-innovation and their effectiveness on the economic growth of Saudi Arabia. The study extracted data from the World Bank from 1989 to 2020. Stationarity was examined using augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) tests, and the associations among constructs were analyzed through QARDL model. The findings revealed that FFEC, EU, NEC, EI, REC, and sustainability-oriented eco-innovation are significantly correlated with the EG of Saudi Arabia. The study also provides insights to new researchers who will investigate this area in the future and guides regulators in developing regulations related to economic growth using an appropriate level of energy and adoption of sustainability-oriented eco-innovation.

Energy mix with technological innovation to abate carbon emission: fresh evidence from Mexico applying wavelet tools and spectral causality.

The global warming issue arises from climate change, which draws scientists' attention toward cleaner energy sources. Among clean sources, renewables and nuclear energy are getting immense attention among policymakers. However, the significance of nuclear energy in reducing CO2 emissions has remained ambiguous, necessitating further research. Therefore, the present study draws impetuous attention to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals-7 (affordable clean energy) & 13 (climate change mitigation) by looking at the relationship between energy mix (fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear), economic growth, technological innovation, and CO2 emissions in Mexico from 1980 to 2019 using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. In addition, to assess the direction of causality, this study applied wavelet techniques and spectral causality. The findings affirm that renewable and nuclear energy use and technological innovation tend to curb CO2 emissions, whereas fossil fuel consumption and economic expansion trigger CO2 emissions. The study lends support to the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) phenomenon in Mexico. The FMOLS and DOLS tests show that our long-run estimates are reliable. In different time scales, the wavelet coherence result is also consistent. Finally, the results of the spectral causality approach demonstrate a significant causal association between the variables tested at various frequencies. As a result, in order to achieve SDGs 7 and 13 and support an environmentally friendly ecosystem, Mexico's energy mix must be changed to renewables and nuclear.

Comparing the environmental impacts of nuclear and renewable energy in top 10 nuclear-generating countries: evidence from STIRPAT model.

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of nuclear energy and renewable energy on CO2 emissions in major top 10 nuclear-generating countries based on the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model from 1993 to 2018. For comparison, the impact of renewable energy on emissions is also examined. For robust checking, four models would be used. The cross-sectional dependence (CD) test reveals the existence of CD in the panel data. Stationary tests indicate the selected variables have no unit root in 1st difference, and cointegration tests confirm the time series data in four multivariable models are long-run cointegrating relationship in each model. Fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and augmented mean group (AMG) are employed to estimate the long-run coefficients of independent variables, which reveals the positive impacts of variables on emissions. One percent increase in population, economic growth, carbon intensity, and nuclear or renewable energy consumption can lead to 0.984 ~ 1.060%, 1.001 ~ 1.012%, 1.000 ~ 1.011%, 0.009 ~ 0.011%, or 0.003 ~ 0.005% increase in emissions, respectively. Dumitrescu-Hurlin (DH) panel Granger causality test reveals that the causalities between the variables are mixed. Finally, some implications are proposed, such as limiting population quantity and improving the population quality, implementing a green economy, and developing safe nuclear and renewable energy.

El viaje del uranio español en los años sesenta: significados y materialidades de un objeto híbrido / The journey of Spanish uranium in the sixties meanings and materialities of a hybrid object

En 1966, 137 toneladas de mineral de uranio español llegaron al puerto de Nueva Orleans procedentes del puerto de Cádiz. En este artículo quiero utilizar este viaje que conectó agentes políticos, industriales y empresariales con capacidades y experiencias técnicas, para explorar el uranio como un objeto híbrido —físico, técnico y diplomático—. El uranio conectó los intereses de las autoridades franquistas con los de los científicos y empresarios de la industria eléctrica. Sirvió al régimen de Franco para formar investigadores en nuevos métodos y prácticas experimentales y también para popularizar las políticas e ideologías atómicas de Estados Unidos. Al tiempo que alimentó los reactores nucleares, el uranio generó nuevos espacios disciplinares, modificó paisajes y diseñó nuevas cartografías industriales y administrativas. Además de ser una pieza clave en la política exterior del régimen franquista —le sirvió al régimen español para alinearse con el pensamiento occidental imperante sobre los usos civiles de la energía nuclear—, internamente sirvió para abandonar los discursos autárquicos y reforzar el poder de los tecnócratas, que utilizaron la energía atómica para transformar la producción eléctrica española. Este viaje cambió la materialidad del mineral de uranio, su física y su química, y también sus significados. (AU)

In 1966, 137 tons of Spanish uranium ore arrived at the port of New Orleans from the port of Cádiz. In this paper, I want to use this trip, which involved political, industrial, and business agents as well as technical capabilities, to explore the uranium as a hybrid object - physical, technical and diplomatic. This material connected the interests of the Franco authorities, scientists, and businessmen from the electrical industry. It served the Franco regime in training researchers, in buying and importing technologies, methods and experimental practices, and in introducing ways to popularize atomic policies and ideologies from the United States. Uranium was a fuel that not only powered nuclear reactor but also fed new disciplinary spaces, modified landscapes, and sketched new industrial and administrative cartographies. Besides being a key piece of the Franco regime’s foreign policy —it was useful to the Spanish regime to align itself with prevailing Western thought on the civil uses of nuclear energy— it served internally to effectively abandon autarchic discourses and strengthen the power of the technocrats, who used atomic energy to transform Spanish electrical production. The materiality of uranium ore changed with travel and also its meanings. (AU)