Eliciting public preference for nuclear energy against the backdrop of global warming

One of the most important issues related to sustainability is to reduce the use of fossil fuels due to the reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) emission. Nuclear power results in low carbon emissions and is thus important to mitigating the adverse effects of global warming and climate change. However, the downside of nuclear power cannot be overlooked, and consequently nuclear power is a controversial issue in many countries around the world. Thus an important question concerns how people should support nuclear power. Do the climate and energy security benefits of nuclear power outweigh its risks and costs? Therefore, we use a modified double-bounded contingent valuation model to explore the attitudes and the willingness to pay (WTP) of a country in order to demonstrate its implications for policy. We confirm that supporters and opponents of nuclear power are balanced both in terms of their numbers and in terms of their WTP. The policy implication is that people do not support any dramatic increase or reduction in nuclear power, and that nuclear power should still be an important means of generating electricity in Taiwan. The current share of nuclear power in electricity generation of 20% should be maintained in the near future.