By now, it has become alarmingly clear that we are in an environmental crunch. We are consuming the earth’s resources much faster than they can be replenished, and we have caused massive increases in the earth’s average temperature. A big reason for this is our enormous consumption of fossil fuels for energy, heat and transportation. One option for the amelioration of this problem that has been proposed for almost 70 years now is the use of nuclear power. Nuclear power is the generation of energy using nuclear energy, specifically through the fusion and/or fission of atoms. While the splitting and fusing of atoms occurs naturally all the time (mostly in the sun and other stars), the idea of civilian use of nuclear power has only been …show more content…
After careful consideration, it has become apparent that nuclear energy is not the energy source that the world needs.
As nuclear energy employs similar technology as those in city-destroying weapons, the possibilities for danger are abundant. The breakdown of atoms creates other, new atoms called daughter isotopes. Many of them are also radioactive, but need to be removed from the reactor since they don’t break down fast enough to be used as fuel. In addition, the unused nuclear fuel and Uranium-238 must also be removed, forming what is collectively known as “nuclear waste”. It is both chemically toxic and radioactive, and must be stored away from anything living. In addition to creating toxic waste, reactors require water to cool the reactor. The used hot water is dumped back in lakes and rivers, and the temperature change can harm wildlife. Not only does nuclear power create dangerous materials during every second of operation, but nuclear plants can become extremely dangerous if something goes wrong. Look no further than the Chernobyl incident. The Chernobyl nuclear plants were a set of four nuclear reactors in what is now Ukraine, when it was part of the Soviet Union. On April 25, 1986, unauthorized tests were done on one of the reactors, and the safety features were disabled. “Engineers initiated an uncontrolled chain reaction in the core of the reactor” (Chernobyl), and the following day, a massive explosion in the reactor destroyed the
For years, many scientists, environmentalists, and energy experts have been studying how human’s creation and use of energy has impacted our environment. These experts have discovered some troubling facts. Most of our country’s energy is created from burning fossil fuels that pollute our atmosphere, contribute to global warming, and thus threaten the future of our planet. But there’s a safe and effective solution to this problem: nuclear power. Nuclear power should be used more in the United States to create clean power that doesn’t pollute our environment, in order to help combat climate change.
Throughout history, the source of energy that powers the world has advanced alongside technology. The power on which civilization thrives has to be in accordance to the demand at which it is required. As technology evolves, objects from which energy can be extracted can expanded exponentially. In the status quo, the United States is trying to limit the greenhouse gas emissions instead of just switching power sources which is the wrong direction they should be going in. [Thesis] Instead of wasting their time and money investing in burning coal as their main source of power, countries and their governments need to assist in the transition to a more cost effective and efficient form of energy in the form of nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy was likewise discovered to be useful in naval tactics and in sourcing electricity. As technology has significantly advanced and knowledge has expanded beyond measures, the realm of nuclear engineering has indeed achieved scientific milestones. In practice of modern times, nuclear energy is manufactured within power plants, capable of supporting an outstanding amount of electricity (World Nuclear Association). However, this limited method of energy production is thought to be dangerous. Nuclear engineering is certainly one complex subject and is foreign to the majority of the world population. Within a nuclear power plant, reactors are employed to force uranium ions to undergo the process of nuclear fission; nuclear fission is the separation of atoms, the smallest unit of matter. This splitting of uranium ions releases energy, thus, producing usable heat. Heat is crucial to not only nuclear energy production; rather, heat is necessary in all power plants. Such will then become the steam that gyrates turbines. These turbines are coupled with electromagnets which, finally, yield electricity (How Nuclear Reactors Work). One foremost flaw of nuclear power is the consequential radioactive waste that must be monitored for a long while following disposal. Nevertheless, as resources upon this planet are surely depleting, original forms of energy production are mandatory. In consideration of such, nuclear power plants have proved to be both efficient
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
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.
The necessity for a new type of energy increases with every year. Energy consumption rates are increasing continuously, and with them, pollution and wastes directly harming the Earth and her atmosphere. While other energy competitors constantly fell short of impacting fossil fuels enough to significantly lower their usage rates, nuclear energy can not only compete against the highly efficient yet harmful fossil fuels but can reign as king as a more efficient and cleaner source of energy.
Nuclear energy has been a fundamental subject of examination for a good length of time. Everybody knows global warming is going on yet nobody entirely knows the most ideal approach to battle it. Though it is one arrangement we're attempting to make sense of, is it the best one? Numerous think nuclear energy is the solution, some believe it's too excessive and perilous. Demonstrating there are a few difficulties and issues there are also many focal points to form an opinion on. Everybody's side is a critical
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.
The world as we know today is dependent on energy. The options we have currently enable us to produce energy economically but at a cost to the environment. As fossil fuel source will be diminishing over time, other alternatives will be needed. An alternative that is presently utilized is nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is currently the most efficacious energy source. Every time the word ‘nuclear’ is mentioned, the first thought that people have is the devastating effects of nuclear energy. Granting it does come with its drawbacks; this form of energy emits far less pollution than conventional power plants. Even though certain disadvantages of nuclear energy are devastating, the advantages contain even greater rewards.
Nuclear power plants being so defenseless and having such a high rate for accident. The words accident and contamination flashed, in her head, like a weather bulletin. It was a regular day the kids had left for school and Shina was just straightening up around the house. She heard a loud weird siren coming from the nuclear power plant. One of the nuclear cores had over heated and the town was being evacuated. Chernobyl “suffered the worst accident, “on April 26, 1986, the reactor blew like a ton of dynamite sending the “top of the reactor” in to the air, and containments “buried” in the “biosphere for days” (Lewis 25). The containments buried in the air, which was harmful to people’s health. The contamination in the air would spread to other places, and cause damage
Nuclear power plants are hazardous to population living nearby. Nuclear power plants take up enormous amounts of space that they’re bound to be located near a population of people. According to Karl Grossman, a journalism professor and environmental reporter at the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, an estimated 108 million people live within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant
With any large energy producing facility there are risks. The truth is that accidents do happen at nuclear power plants and at other facilities all the time. An example of this was the accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania where there was a partial meltdown in March 1979. More recently was the worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Statistical data for 1995, released by the International Atomic Energy Agency early in 1996, indicated that there were a total of 437 operational nuclear power stations in 31 countries with years of experience. Chernobyl was the only plant that injured the public. Thus, judging by the data, that is a good record for a source of energy.
Nuclear energy can be seen as the energy hope for the future. The diminishing supply of non-renewable fossil fuels requires the development of a cheap alternative. Could nuclear energy be the answer? It is abundant, low in labour intensity, comparatively clean and able to provide for societies needs for at least 200 years.
In this modern era, scientists and environmentalists are concerned with preserving the planet Earth by using different forms of energy resources. The interest of scientists and environmentalists motivate them to wonder about the Nuclear energy as one of the most destructive energy resources of the world. For most, it is compulsory to stress that the attempts to understand the uses of nuclear energy are mainly based on assumptions. The genuine uses of nuclear energy, however, are still not applicable. Firstly, this is due to the high cost required for its investment. Secondly, it is affecting the international relationships all around the world. Lastly, it produces highly hazardous waste products, especially radiation. Nuclear energy is an unclean, non-renewable, expensive and dangerous energy resource.
The modern day dependency on fossil fuels has led to a global search for ethical and environmentally-sound alternative energy. Among the most powerful is nuclear energy, though it is mired in controversy. This essay describes, among other things, the nuclear energy process, and with it the weaknesses. Amid the hope of one day using nuclear energy as a “green” energy source, there is much fear of devastation, due to the four main nuclear disasters in Earth’s history. After the most recent nuclear disaster, Fukushima, Germany reversed their stance on nuclear energy, denouncing any future involvement with the research,