Physics · GCSE · Energy
Energy resources: environmental impact and trends
Energy resources: environmental impact and trendsFree4:21Heddy Score 3 of 7, below the standard
What you need to know
- Nuclear power was expected to give cheap electricity after the 1940s but turned out to be complex and expensive.
- Building of reactors boomed after oil prices soared in the 1970s; more than half of today's reactors date from 1970 to 1985.
- A reactor heats water using a controlled fission chain reaction of uranium-235, very different from the runaway reaction in a bomb.
- Accidents at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima slowed new building, and nuclear's share of electricity has stalled since the late 1980s.
- Many countries must now choose between replacing ageing reactors and moving to other energy resources.
In this clip
Runs 4:21, from 0:16 to 4:37 of the full video.
Heddy ScoreSeven checks every clip must pass before students see it: trusted, on the map, accurate, focused, accessible, safe, and proven by students.3/7, Below the standard
See the seven stars
- Trusted source · passed. The creator's own upload, live and playable here.
- On the map · not judged yet. A teacher watched it: it mainly teaches this map topic.
- Spec-true · not judged yet. Accurate, and right for the current UK specification.
- Focused · passed. One idea, short enough to watch in one go.
- Accessible · passed. Good captions, clear sound and pictures.
- Safe for children · not judged yet. Right for 11 to 16 year olds, with no sales pitch.
- Proven · not judged yet. Earned from our students: they learn from it, find it helpful and watch it to the end.
Our students
Not enough students yet
Our own students' answers. These are what move ★7 Proven.On YouTube
How the Heddy Score works8.2M views · 121K likes · Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell 25.8M subscribers
As reported by YouTube on 2026-11-02. Not part of the Heddy Score.Why we picked it
Tells the story of how the use of nuclear power has risen and stalled, which helps students read trends in how energy resources are used.
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell on YouTubechecked 2026-10-22
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