Nuclear Power Negatives

The use of nuclear power plants is a more efficient energy source compared to coal power plants. Coal has high emissions of greenhouse gases, especially SO2 which leads to acid rain formation, smog, health impairments, radioactivity and climate change. Nuclear power plants emit little to no harmful pollutants or gases, and if properly managed should not contribute to atmospheric climate change (AIU Online, 2016).

Summary: In this paper I will discuss the overall of nuclear energy to rectify some misconception. I will give the advantages and disadvantages for using nuclear energy and let the readers understand the basic idea of it.

It is estimated that the demand for power will grow two and a half percent per year. Even if the demand for energy didn’t increase in the future but stayed where it is nuclear would still be the best choice for power production. Nuclear costs less and is environmentally cleaner than coal, which currently supplies approximately fifty percent of the power in the U.S. (Loewen 53). In addition nuclear has an exemplary safety record. The group of people who oppose nuclear and promote renewable power sources, hereafter termed environmentalists, do so for very sound reasons. However,

Firstly, the usage of nuclear power is consistent and plentiful. As we know, the reaction of nuclear can emit a great power of energy, it can support vast of families’ and enormous plants’ working. In addition, unlike solar energy and wind power, which depend on external factors, nuclear power is consistent generate at anytime and anywhere. Secondly, since the nuclear power is easy to produce and it also can generate a huge amount of power, it is much cheaper to use it. What’s more, like Hill’s saying, “with the cost of natural gas and oil soaring”, the nuclear plants have return back to work and produce massive energy. Lastly, nuclear power benefits to environment: not only because it does not produce the carbon emissions, which can alleviates the global warming; but also it reduces the noxious byproducts, like sulfur dioxide, which is main reason of air pollution. Therefore, using the nuclear power is an ideal energy resource for human

Nuclear power is a much greener option than others, and can help prevent the devastating effects of fossil fuels on the environment. Burning fossil fuels releases thousands of tons of GHGs (greenhouse gasses) into the air that cause a variety of serious environmental problems. The emissions cause global warming which leads to the melting of polar ice caps and the raising of oceans. This also causes acid rain and air pollution which pollutes water sources, accelerates erosion and damages ecosystems (Pacific

Most power plants burn coal, oil, or natural gas to turn water into steam. This steam make a turbine rotate which produces electricity. In a nuclear power plant, atoms are split creating heat to turn the turbine. Other power plants create many greenhouse gases, while nuclear power plants only release carbon dioxide. There are 100 commercial nuclear reactors in the U.S., these reactors account for about 20% of the nation's total electricity. There are 7,577 other power plants ( thermal, hydro-electric, geothermal, and wind power plants) not including nuclear power plants in the U.S. alone. These power plants - talk about pollution -emit carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane gas, boron, decrease oxygen supply, displace animals, and many other things.

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

Nuclear power plants do not emit the harmful green house gases and other negative by-products associated with the more conventional systems fuelled by coal and natural gas. Nuclear power plants use nuclear reactions to drive their generators. The reactions produce extreme amounts of heat that must be managed. Most

Nuclear power plants were set up to harness the energy and provide electricity to a large proportion of people and this energy was very efficient and was long lasting. This technology was also put to use into the medical field to treat cancer patient. The result had a positive and negative effect on the environment. It contaminated the oceans and river there by effecting the fishes and the corals, the radiation emitted had an effect on the human body and to animals. But this source of energy paved a way to greener way of generating electricity and to take an account of global warming and climatic change. In an open letter, more than 65 biologists supported the call to build more nuclear power plants as a global plan to protect the wildlife and the environment and the full gamut of the source (the energy) should put into effect to replace the other fossil fuel such as the oil, coal to cut the effect of severe climate change. Of the many technologies to generate electricity, nuclear power and wind have the highest chance to reduce major climatic effect caused by burning coal which is almost half the global carbon dioxide

Nuclear energy is a green source of energy and power that is been used by many developed and powerful countries in the world. This energy is used to satisfy the need for electricity in many major cities around the world. They are usually built near seas, rivers and oceans, because they would need continuous supply of water to keep the reactor cool and produce steam to run the turbines. Energy is produced by using a radioactive material called Uranium or Plutonium that undergoes a process called as fission. This process involves the spilling of the Uranium atom into lighter elements, which produces a lot of energy in the form of heat that is used to turn water into steam. The steam is then passed through a turbine which is connected to a generator that yields to electricity. However, the byproducts of this process are for example Cesium-137 that has a half-life of approximately 30 years. These by products are being dumped into the environment that pollute marine life and are also a threat to human life as radioactive materials can mutate genes and cause cancer. In my opinion, Nuclear power plants should be closed, as they are a threat to both humanity and the marine life.

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.

Nuclear fission is a reaction in which heavy nuclei, such as Uranium and Plutonium, are broken into smaller nuclei releasing heat, which is transformed into another form of energy such as, mechanical or electrical. For a long time people have been using nuclear fission as an efficient and sustainable source of energy. However, the use of this form of energy is associated with a unique set of consequences including environmental, social and ethical. In this paper I will discuss nuclear energy and its impact on the environment.

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 is one of the only energy producing technology that is held accountable for all wastes produced; note that, the cost of the waste is accounted for in capital cost. Nuclear power accumulates relatively minimal amounts of nuclear waste in volume as compared to fossil fuel generation that produces a large amount of waste and greenhouse gas emissions. The nuclear fuel waste produced is in part used as an energy source for a fast breeder reactor while the burners’ waste is fully disposed through waste management processes.