As populations continue to grow and prosper, the need for power and resources continues to rise. There are many ways for people to gain the amount of power they need; however, none of the processes are as efficient as nuclear power. Nuclear power produces enough energy for millions of people. Being said, if nuclear power and the energy it produces is so great, what are the problems or issues that are associated with nuclear power? There are a lot of issues, more than anyone would expect. “Animals are affected by the operation of nuclear power - but are the most ignored of all the nuclear industry 's victims. Whether sucked into reactor intake systems, or pulverized at the discharge, aquatic animals and their habitats are routinely harmed and destroyed by the routine operation of reactors” (Beyond Nuclear). Every year the environment and species that live within the ecosystem see a direct effect from nuclear power plants. The issues not only derive from the radiation that is produced in the plant but from the water released from the cooling system and other sources that may release harmful toxins. These lakes are often considered to have unnatural temperatures along with other complications due to some of the unregulated water that is released back into the lake. There are unique characteristics that come with having a nuclear plant on the water. Nuclear power plants require a lot of water in order to be cooled down. They are mostly located near big lakes, rivers or
Nuclear power plants should not be built due to the biological effects it poses during a meltdown. Radiation is exposed to inhabitants during a meltdown but many people are not aware of the horrific effects. An example of this is explained in the article “Biological Effects on Radiation”. “The higher the radiation dose, the sooner the effects of radiation will appear…this syndrome was observed in many atomic bomb survivors in…1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident…of these, 28 died within the first three months from their radiation injuries. Two more patients died during the first days…” (2012).
The nuclear energy institute refers to nuclear energy as “the most 'eco-efficient' of all energy sources because it produces the most electricity in relation to its minimal environmental impact.” Nuclear energy created electricity without burning anything and is therefore emission-free. The areas around nuclear power plants and their cooling ponds are so clean, they are often developed as wetlands that provide nesting areas for waterfowl and other birds, new habitats for fish, and the preservation of other wildlife as well as trees, flowers, and grasses not to mention the amount of actual land a nuclear power plant uses in relation to the amount of
Nuclear power plants are a safe, clean and reliable source of energy production. They are uniquely qualified to meet the growing demand for energy in the USA.
On Wednesday, March 28, 1979, around 4 a.m., there was a failure in the water pumps at the Three Mile Island in Middletown, Pennsylvania. This led to a partial meltdown of a nuclear power plant. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (now Health and Human Services), the Department of Energy, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania all conducted particular studies of the radiological consequences of the accident. Approximately two million people were estimated to have received an average of one millirem of radiation, and there was a maximum dose to a person who was at the site of 100 millirem (“Backgrounder”). To put this into perspective, an exposure from a single chest X-ray is two to six millirem (“Doses”). However, this put fear into the minds of politicians and others all across the country. What the people do not know, though, is nuclear is better. Instead of using fossil-fuels and wind power, America ought to switch to nuclear energy to power the country because it is safer, cleaner, less expensive, and more reliable than the current ways of producing energy
The United States of America’s population constitutes just 5% of the world’s population, yet it consumes nearly 24% of the world’s energy. Because of our huge consumption of energy, we harm our environment in different ways, like producing massive amounts CO2 emissions which have catastrophic effects, such as climate change, that directly impact us and the different forms of life around us. To cut down on these negative effects, researchers have developed more environmentally friendly methods of energy production. The debate now centers around which energy method is better than the rest. Although there are many energy-generating methods, we will focus on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, as well as nuclear power. Shrader-Frechette opposes nuclear energy because it 's seen as unclean, expensive, and dangerous. Senator Lamar Alexander opposes wind and solar energies because the sheer amount of space required by these energy producing methods does more harm to our environment than good. Even if Shrader is right about the disadvantages of nuclear power, which she is not, its worldwide use as our main source of energy would pose an insignificant threat compared to the dangers of the impact solar and wind power would have on the environment. We have no time to experiment with visionary energy sources; civilization is in imminent danger and has to use nuclear power -- the one relatively safe, available, energy source -- now or suffer the pain soon to be
In this section we analyze various social impacts associated with the establishment and operation of nuclear power plants. The impacts of nuclear plants on nearby communities and people living there have been a controversial issue since long time. Nuclear power generation and utilization has several impacts on society which includes real estate, property values, employment, taxes, social services, physical and mental health, economic development and cultural parameters, etc.
Nuclear reactors only emit carbon dioxide and sometimes displace animals. The “cons” from nuclear reactors compared to others vary but it’s very clear that the nuclear power is the better choice.
Today, as much as we know about nuclear power is one of the most powerful and fresh energy, compared to any carbon dioxide producing fuels like coal or oil. It is a very cost effective “cheap” source, but with a major downside. Obtaining it is a rather complex chemical procedure, and the outcome is not only precious power, but also hazardous waste. This
This report is formed to examine the effects that nuclear energy has brought upon the United States of America. As over the years, local state government as well as the public citizens of America are having sceptical doubts on the long term effects that nuclear energy would bring to the states.
Nuclear energy reactors can have devastating consequences to its surrounding environment. Nuclear energy reactors can have a meltdown which can cause its surrounding inhabitants to face dire consequences. A nuclear meltdown is when nuclear reactor(s) have a severe accident which results in damage to the core/overheating. A nuclear meltdown releases radiation into the atmosphere, and also releases extremely dangerous radioisotopes into the environment.
Ever since the discovery of the nucleus of the atom in 1911, the world has been influenced
According to Natural Resources Defense Council, existing nuclear plants tend to be less costly because their fuel costs tend to be lower than the fossil fuel plant (2007). Another advantage is that due to its accuracy, safety, and small size it does not matter where they put it because it will not harm anyone (Williams, 2014). However, others point out that their capital costs are excessively high and that it takes an extremely long amount of time to build a nuclear plant, which represents an opportunity cost because it deflects attention and money away from renewables (Natural Resources Defense Council, 2007). Additionally, nuclear plants have a limited lifespan of 30 years maximum, which means that they would have to pay the high capital costs again and illustrates a clear disadvantage (Nuclear Energy”, 2015). According to Williams, another disadvantage is that the nuclear plants are large and tend to be troublesome in finding a secure location, due to a possible accident
Nuclear power plants can be very beneficial to people. One reason why they are helpful is because it will bring more jobs to southern Indiana. Another reason why they are beneficial to our community is that it will decrease the Co2 emissions in the air. The third reason that Nuclear power can be beneficial is that it will it will save many lives for various reasons. This is why Nuclear Power can be beneficial.
Pollution is another topic with both pros and cons. Fossil fuels release harmful pollutants into the air such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Nuclear power does not release any of those toxins into the atmosphere. However, a pollution problem with nuclear energy is thermal pollution, where a plant’s “hot effluents” are put into a nearby body of water, and raise the temperature by a small amount but enough to cause a disturbance in the ecosystem of the lake or reservoir. Nevertheless, this could easily be solved by cooling the effluents before releasing them into the water. The other problem facing nuclear energy is waste disposal. Nuclear waste is radioactive and very dangerous. Therefore, it must be kept buried and sealed up for a long period of time until the radioactivity dies [Plasma-Material]. One positive fact about nuclear energy that is not disputed is its abundance.
A competitive, safe and environmentally sustainable energy source can be established anywhere on earth. Essential, all that is needed to create a nuclear power plant is a water source to cool down the reactor and uranium. Uranium can be found virtually in every country on earth. Even though it might be harder for certain countries to obtain uranium, there would be no problem in finding it around the world.