Radiation from operating nuclear reactors and other activities involved in nuclear energy is dangerous. Energy should be generated locally, even by individual households, rather than by centralized power stations. The countries that need it the most will continue to use it. France gets 75 percent of its electricity from nuclear reactors, the rest being hydroelectric. Japan is close to 30 percent and increasing steadily.
Japan has no domestic coal or oil.
We have plenty of coal and natural gas, can afford to import more than half of our oil. Therefore, we can afford to temporize unless zapped by the greenhouse effect. However, the counterculture generation is passing through the peak of its political power, and the next generations are likely to be more rational about nuclear energy and many other issues. Therefore, the U.S. is likely to resume building reactors before being absolutely driven to it. The Health Hazards of not Going Nuclear by Petr Beckmann, Golem Press.