The only first-world countries in which there is current significant construction of nuclear power plants: France, Russia, Japan and China. The situation with Japan is complicated by a recent, highly publicized accident. Russia is the only nation that still shows any interest in breeder reactors. The general consensus is that there is enough easily mined uranium ore to make breeders unnecessary in the immediately foreseeable future. Also, there is no apparent need for spent-fuel reprocessing. There has also been very little progress in creating central storage sites for spent fuel rods (many power plants have the spent fuel rods sitting out in the parking lot, in a fenced-off area). Because of the very real environmental impact of increasing CO₂ in the atmosphere, nuclear power plants need to continue to be advocated, along with appropriately sited hydroelectricity, solar power, wind power, etc. It is important to realize that ANY power source can involve unwelcome tradeoffs... for example, hydroelectricity damages ecosystems and wind power can play havoc with migratory birds. Solar power ultimately winds up competing with agriculture unless the solar sites are put in distant, desolate areas. Based on current trends, however, it appears the age of nuclear power is headed toward an inevitable end.