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From fission to fusion: the need for a quick transition

Jason Parisi - a physics student at Yale University - makes a case for fusion power, and discusses the operation safety and proliferation aspects, and explains why the period during which both fission and fusion plants coexist could be dangerous. The essay focuses on how a swift transition would be favorable to reduce the risc of boosting a fission bomb. Parisi also elaborates on why he believes fusion energy will be affordable - with or without using a carbon-pricing mechanism to compare its pricing against that of conventional fossil fuels.

This essay of Parisi, who has won a fellowship from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, provides an interesting summary of the benefits of a swift transition from fission to fusion, but unfortunately forgets to weigh fusion against other alternatives. And perhaps more than anything, the road to economic viability of fusion energy depends on the comparison against wind, solar, geothermal and other low-carbon alternatives.