Nuclear Power in Australia’s Energy Future Essays

Nuclear has been in use for over fifty years and provides power to thirty two countries, manufacturing no emissions. Australia is one among the few developed countries without nuclear energy and therefore the solely G20 nation while not it. Why is that this the case? 2 reasons: worry and politics. Safety is that the issue cited most frequently by opponents of nuclear energy in Australia., however there has been only one fatal nuclear accident in nearly sixty years of generation worldwide.

In Australia, carbon emissions contribute to the problem of global warming and climate change worsening. Therefore, people want to move to a more sustainable energy future, because renewable energy is the only valid method to reduce emissions. But it is very difficult to widely use renewable energy since this transition have to face numerous barriers. This essay will argue that adopting renewable energy cannot be overcome due to lack of financial and political barriers.

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

Australia is a lucky country, we have a very small amount of seismic activity, we have masses of uninhabited land, and we have some of the largest deposits of uranium on earth. So this begs the question, why isn’t anyone seriously talking about nuclear power? In Australia the government is throwing millions of dollars into reducing greenhouse emissions, yet all of our power comes from the burning of coal. This is only due to lack of knowledge about radiation and nuclear power as well as over dramatization by the media. By utilizing the energy from the nucleus of uranium Australia would unlock the door to cheaper energy, less pollution, new jobs, and a future of unlimited energy.

As we know, greenhouse gases have been one of the major causes for climate change. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the primary source of greenhouse gas emission is from electricity production which is mostly generated by burning fossil fuels. Over several decades, mankind has spent countless amount of resources, trying to find a suitable energy substitute for fossil fuels in order to stabilize climate change. Unsurprisingly, due to its powerful nature, nuclear energy has been one of the most popular and developed technology around the world. In this paper, I am going to discuss the fundamental flaws in nuclear energy, and the potential danger it could bring to not only the mankind today, but also tomorrow. In addition,

In comparison, the only substance nuclear energy emits into the atmosphere is steam. However, once we view the entire nuclear cycle the environmental dangers of nuclear energy become clear. Once depleted, nuclear fuel remains dangerously radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years and over that period it is important for it to be stored in a secure facility away from populated areas. The majority of Australia's population lives on the coastline, with the interior of the country being mostly inhospitable to humans. This barrenness provides the perfect location for a storage facility to be built in Australia. The alternative is to ship our waste to another nation such as the United States to be stored. The main danger with nuclear waste, however, comes from transporting it from the nuclear power plant to the storage facility. If we were to transport it by rail or truck, what happens if the aforementioned vehicle has an accident. What about if we were to transport the waste via ship overseas and it was to sink. It are these ‘what if’ scenarios that must be taken into consideration when deciding whether nuclear energy will be beneficial to our environment. In contrast, minimal environmental danger surrounds the use of solar and wind power, aside from the clearing of land for them

Australia has developed something of an allergic reaction to any mention of uranium or nuclear energy. With fears of its safety and impact on the environment again heightened by the devastating nuclear event that was the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Blessed as we are with abundant reserves of coal, oil and gas, we have never had to ask the hard questions many other nations have had to ask – the answer for which has been ‘nuclear’. Yet with the looming spectre of climate change and greater calls for a shift away from fossil fuels, nuclear power is once again on the agenda. The South Australian government has even called for a royal commission to investigate the plausibility of nuclear power in this country (Wroe).

Brown also foresees a political problem – which nuclear power may be selectively pursued by the developed countries only. However, I am of the opinion that nuclear power remains credible and is the solution to lowering carbon emissions. The next section of this paper will expand on the arguments for nuclear power, against the backdrop of renewable energy challenges and nuclear

There is often speculation surrounding Nuclear energy. There were reports that the British applied to the United States for permission to carry out their first atomic bomb in the flats of Nevada. These reports were met with much speculation due to the physical size and observable flaws in the British program . This highlights an important problem with Nuclear energy production. Many countries pursue Nuclear energy for weaponry or other status symbols. When Nuclear Energy is harnessed, it can have a significant effect. Developments in Nuclear energy have had a great impact on global carbon emissions and have significantly decreased the footprint that energy production leaves on the environment. The progress that the American West and other industrialized countries have made in Nuclear energy and other renewable methods provide a reliable alternative to other energy sources that increase carbon emissions.

Nuclear power plants emit close to zero greenhouse gasses (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), 2013), but it is currently illegal to generate domestic electricity using nuclear power in Australia, according to the (Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998). There have been three highly publicised disasters from nuclear power plants around the world, and the majority of public opinion in Australia is that nuclear power is “unsafe, expensive, risks weapons proliferation and has intractable waste disposal problems” (ATSE, 2013, p. 5). However, scientists from the ATSE (2013) report that these beliefs are unsupported by evidence. This project will initially examined xplain how nuclear power works, then investigated the risks, benefits, and possibilities that nuclear power presents. Next, the environmental effects of coal-fired generation will be were discussed, and finally the environmental effects of replacing coal-fired generators with nuclear power plants in New South Wales (NSW) will be were explored.

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.

With global temperatures increasing and climate change controversies arising, the world seeks a clean, reliable energy source; could nuclear energy be the answer? Due to massive amounts of carbon dioxide emitted into the air by our main energy provider, the coal power plant, society is yearning for a cleaner form of energy. Nuclear power plants release minimal amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Nuclear energy, in the public eye, has a bad reputation because of accidents that have occurred in recent history (Fukushima, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl). With the current climate crisis in full effect, the thought of nuclear energy has been revived. Society has become so dumbfounded by global warming that nuclear energy is being perceived as the apparent solution. The idea that nuclear energy should replace fossil fuels and coal as our main energy source is downright blasphemous. Nuclear energy shouldn’t be used because it’s dangerous, dirty, and immensely expensive and time consuming to start; therefore, the drawbacks greatly outweigh the benefits of nuclear energy.

In today’s modern society our needs and demands are infinite and fulfilling them can become a daunting task for any developing country or nation. The Australian Federal Government is confronted with these endless demands daily and must make decisions that are both advantageous towards the Australian public and satisfies the rudimentary requirements and necessities of the nation. Energy is a primary need that the Australian public requires daily and the procedures of generating the immense amounts of electricity required for powering every day necessities is currently being produced by the usage of fossil fuels, which has been validated to be an inefficient method of producing energy. Nuclear energy offers a resolution and

In the present day, nuclear power is responsible for generating roughly one sixth of the UK’s electrical energy. We have a total of nine active nuclear power plants distributed around the country, housing sixteen nuclear reactors. In the US, one fifth of energy is produced by nuclear power. Nuclear energy production has many advantages compared to other sources. For example, it has very low pollution levels, unlike methods involving fossil fuels, which produce high amounts of pollution, therefore harming the atmosphere and environment. Also, nuclear power has a high energy density production and so less fuel is required; it is estimated that a single nuclear fission reaction releases

Since the year 1954 people have been faced with the conundrum of nuclear energy. This process though unfamiliar with some, is when decaying uranium heats water that then turns a turbine which produces energy. In the coming years nuclear energy is going to play a major part in the worlds energy consumption if we are to meet carbon goals. Though nuclear energy has been around for over fifty years the battle still wages on over its use throughout the world.