If you want a surefire way to scare people, you can’t do much better than saying “nuclear.” Yet, it can prove to be a reliable source of energy in the coming decades.

Seven unassuming letters conjure images of smoldering cities, air raid sirens, and tragic accidents. In fact, the technology behind modern MRI machines is called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, but doctors dropped the word “nuclear” 1950s because it carried such negative connotations.

As Russia chokes European gas supplies, policymakers have been scrambling to find solutions to Europe’s growing energy crisis. Last week, Russia stopped supplying natural gas to Germany via Nord Stream One, the largest pipeline in Europe. 

While there’s no easy solution to the continent’s energy crisis, nuclear power is a safe, clean, reliable source for Europe to depend on while navigating relations with Russia. It’s important that Europe invests in upgrading aging nuclear infrastructure, so this power source can light up the world for decades to come.

According to Eurostat, nuclear energy currently accounts for just 17% of Europe’s energy production, compared to 18% for natural gas. This percentage soars to more than 70% in France.

The most fundamental concern of energy production is safety. Electricity serves to illuminate human life, not threaten it. For many, salient images of nuclear disasters at Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima Daiichi condemn nuclear power as fundamentally unsafe.

Statistically speaking, nuclear is nearly the safest energy source around. According to Our World in Data, deaths from accidents or exposure to nuclear power occur at a rate of about 0.07 per terawatt hour. Coal comes in at more than 24 deaths per terawatt hour and gas is nearly three. 

Accidents like Chernobyl and Three Mile Island were due to human error, poor plant design, and unreasonable performance pressures. In the decades since these incidents, computer control and better design has largely eliminated the danger of costly mistakes. 

Fukushima’s meltdown occurred as the result of a tsunami, a phenomenon conspicuously lacking in inland Europe. Its aftermath represents one of the most effective containment operations in history, and studies have attributed only one death to the incident.

Not only is nuclear power safe, it’s also clean. Plants produce no direct carbon emissions, which is crucial for Europe’s stringent commitment to green energy. 

According to reports by the IPCC, in its lifetime, a nuclear power plant will produce 1.5% the carbon emissions of a coal plant, and 2.4% of the carbon emissions of a natural gas plant. This includes construction of the facility, operations, and waste disposal.

The major environmental hurdle in nuclear energy is how to safely dispose of radioactive waste. Recently, Finland has been constructing the world’s first permanent nuclear waste disposal site, taking steps toward a lasting solution for waste management. 

Europe has been looking to transition to a higher percentage of renewable energy. These power sources aren’t advanced enough to help the continent cope with dwindling raw material supplies from Russia. 

Germany planned to phase out nuclear power by the end of this year, but has recently elected to keep two reactors of its remaining three reactors online in anticipation of the coming winter. It’s time for other European countries to follow and look to nuclear as the solution for their growing energy conundrum.