Nuclear fusion promises a clean, green energy future — but there's a catch

It's a nuclear race like no other, involving billions of dollars and hundreds of scientists from across the globe.

An artist's impression of the completed ITER.
The pink section in the middle is the tokamak.

Their aim is as ambitious as it is monumental: to replicate the energy source that powers the solar system, effectively building a mini sun — a swirling mass of super-heated atomic plasma so hot that it can only be contained by a magnetic field.

The process is called nuclear fusion.

Scientists believe that if fusion technology can be successfully harnessed as a human energy source, it could help save the world from future environmental catastrophe.

Read the story from the ABC by Anthony Funnell for Future Tense - “Nuclear fusion promises a clean, green energy future — but there's a catch.”