Nuclear Power Has Been Highly Controversial

If they see or locate any Uranium, the mine will continue to excavate soil and find Uranium in that area. Uranium is extracted, especially in two different ways. Open Pit Mining, one of the most common extraction techniques for uranium, is used by stripping away the excess soil near the mineral, and then, after cutting away the sides of the ore, pumping the Uranium ore out of the rock or soil. Another excavation technique, Underground Mining, is a technique used when Uranium ore is too deep for Open Pit extraction. When Uranium is too deep to mine by hand, the soil or rock will be drilled and the sediments are taken away to a mill to separate. Once this debris has been taken to a mill and the soil has been separated from the Uranium, a significant amount of waste is exported into rivers and natural

one and only way to get materials out of earths surface, however it has a major affect on the environment, which then affect the people. The impacts can vary depends on what type of mine it is, for example if it a uranium mines, then it is guaranteed that the surrounded area, water, soil and vegetables will be turned it to radioactive materials. Uranium will decay by emitting alpha particles accompanied by weak gamma radiation, which travels at the speed of light (3*108). Since alpha particle travels at the speed of light, it can penetrate human’s organs and could kill people (Radiation protection, 2015). A Half life of uranium-238 is 4.47 billion years, which means even after the mine is shout down the place will be radio active for billions of years. This can result in children being born with disabilities. Scientists have found that uranium can bind to human DNA (research, 2006).

Energy- Everyone needs it. The major challenge for the 21st century however, is generating this energy with the lowest impact on human and ecological health. A number of differing production methods have been derived in response to this, one of the most controversial of which is Nuclear energy supplied through Uranium mining. This is a uniquely topical issue in Australia, on account of the sheer amount of Uranium held in Australia’s borders (30% of the world’s reserves) and its potential impact on Australia’s economy (4), the politicised and partisan nature of nuclear debate, along with longstanding opposition associated with such striking international disasters as the Chernobyl and, more recently, Fukushima events (1). With such significant

The first way to mine uranium is open pit mining or also known as strip mining. Open pit mining is the removal of the top soil and the rocky soil to get to the ore. This kind of mining can only happen if the uranium is near the surface (less than 400 feet normally). Underground mining is the second way you can mine Uranium. Underground Mining is used to get higher amounts of uranium that are too deep to get from an open pit mine. In underground mining the ore is drilled, then blasted to make debris which is then transported to the surface

Another arguments against the limitations on uranium mining in Australia is that uranium mining can increase job oppurtunity to local people in Australia. According to Greenpeace Australia Pacific (2006), the uranium industry could create a large number of job opportunity because energy resource industry need a lot of employees to support that business. If the Australian Government expand their uranium mining it will create potential local job and it would be one solution to solve the unemployment problems. So, some people believe that the limitations of uranium mining is not necessary because it can reduce the job opportunity in Australia.

Uranium is a naturally occuring chemical element that can be mined from ore in many parts of the Southwestern United States where

Nuclear energy is the energy released by a nuclear reaction, it uses fuel made from mined and processed uranium to generate heat and electricity. It is the world’s largest emission free energy source. Nuclear energy also has the lowest impact on the environment than other energy sources. But it can still be very harmful because of the radiation is causes and the radioactive waste it produces. Radioactive wastes are the ruins of nuclear materials that are used in providing nuclear energy. These wastes contain high levels of radiation that can be very hazardous to humans and the environment. Some people accept and support the idea of using nuclear energy and others don’t. In the following paragraphs, some major nuclear accidents and the public acceptance of nuclear energy will be discussed.

The world’s need for energy is growing exponentially, our current lifestyle relies almost entirely on non-renewable energy sources in order to provide electricity for our homes. Australia has an abundance of these non-renewable materials which provide Australia with a stable form of export as well as providing employment. Australia is abundant in natural resources like iron and coal, as well as other materials, the most notable being Uranium. Uranium, which is in plentiful supply in Australia (containing 31% of the entire world’s supply), has very controversial uses.

Uranium is a chemical element that is silvery-white with an atomic number of 92 having 92 protons and neutrons. In Colorado the Uravan Mineral Belt is the oldest uranium mining in America. It was also has 1,200 historic mines that produce over 63 million pounds of Uranium from 1948 to 1978. Uranium is a hazardous element the reason so is because if inhaling uranium decaying products causes lung cancer also uranium mill tailings contain that contain radioactive ,materials, notably radium-226, and heavy metals which leach out into groundwater and test from mill tailings from water shows that that water contamination are at hundreds of times the government’s acceptable level of drinking water. Uranium plants or mill tailing plants also

It is not until recently that people have become dependent on this element, and not necessarily for the good of it, and the world. There is an obsession with uranium because of its unique properties. Uranium is extremely powerful because of its radioactive properties and unstable nuclei, especially that of Uranium-235. It is able to break down and release high frequency radiation through alpha and beta decay. It is because of these characteristics that Uranium has such a craze on the population of the world (Cox, 1995; Scerri, 2007). The properties of uranium allow people to create powerful plants to produce electricity, and weapons strong enough to destroy the world.

The disastrous meltdowns that cause whole cities to become uninhabitable, as well as leaving families homeless and laborers without jobs, have defined the negative perspective of what people see in nuclear power. However, even after such catastrophes, the pure raw energy output makes nuclear power essential for the future of the human race. As time passes, the world’s energy usage has grown an increasingly massive size every year due to the consumption swell of energy. Despite nuclear plants being a heavily controversial topic internationally, its advantages are very well recognized and it’s causing nuclear plants to slowly become the basis of our growing society.

Figure 2. This image illustrates where major reserves of uranium are found on earth. <http://www.globalresearch.ca/articlePictures/uranium_reserves.jpg>.

Just five pounds of plutonium, a component of nuclear waste, is enough to make a

An example is that nuclear power emits more energy than fossil fuels. In an article called “The Pro and Cons of Nuclear Power”, Jeremy Smith states that Uranium, which is used to make nuclear energy, can produce 20,000 times as much energy than fossil fuels (2011). This means that a small amount of Uranium would be used to make an abundant amount of energy. On the other hand, the process of acquiring the Uranium may be more dangerous that predicted. According to Jeremy Smith, uranium mining exposes workers to radium, a highly radioactive element, which then turns into radon gas. “Radon gas… can expose workers and nearby communities to an array of health risks like lung cancer, bone cancer and lymphoma” (Smith 2011). In conclusion, although uranium gives an immense amount of energy, it would not be worth it if thousands of workers become ill and possibly die.

Global demand and consumption of energy is at an all time high; the world needs a safe, efficient, clean, and high producing source of energy production. The solution is something we already use for energy production, Nuclear power. From the beginning of nuclear energy there has been concerns over the safety of the power plants and its impact on the environment. With climate change and more accurate information on nuclear power the tide is shifting in its favor. This paper will explore the positives of nuclear power, political change on nuclear power, safety of the energy source and new technologies associated with the nuclear power process. Most importantly are the risks associated with nuclear power worth it? Research suggests that nuclear power is safer now more than ever and has less of an impact on the environment than coal or oil. Public support and misconceptions over the years have been up and down due to political agendas and those who are misinformed about nuclear power. Individuals who are involved in the energy field are in favor of nuclear power and building more plants with newer technology.