Nuclear Power Argumentative Essay

Although nuclear power cost the least for the amount of power it makes, it is still very expensive. To make nuclear power you have to build a nuclear power plant. To build a nuclear power you need millions of dollars. Not only that, you have to also run the nuclear power plant. To run a nuclear power plant you need to either mine the uranium and then refine yourself, or buy the uranium from another company. Once you have done this you need to run everything in the power plant, which cost money, and then pay your workers. Also when creating nuclear energy you create radioactive waste which need to be stored far away somewhere, under surveillance, to make sure that it does not ruin the environment. The owner of exelon, the one who owns Three Mile Island, said that they have lost around 800 million dollars in recent years. If exelon decided to change their mind they would end up losing even more money and eventually have to shut down.

Firstly, the atomic incidents of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania and Chernobyl in Russia are often mentioned as examples for nuclear plants being unsafe. In both cases failures of workers led to a meltdown in the reactors and increased radiation in the surrounding area (Henderson 12-17). And as the recent disaster in Japan shows, a nuclear crisis cannot only be caused by human mishaps, but also by unpredictable and untamable natural hazards. Consequently, nuclear crises cannot be predicted or prevented completely. Nuclear plants are, furthermore, considered uneconomical because in the eighties the construction costs of nuclear plants were underestimated and exceeded the estimation by $100 billion (Henderson 103). Therefore, the nuclear power opponents are arguing that nuclear power is burdening the American economy unnecessarily. According to the nuclear physicist Jeff Eerkens, antinuclear groups are also claiming that nuclear power is not necessary for the future since renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power will be providing sufficient energy for the United States, and are at the same time much cheaper than the costly nuclear power plants (Eerkens 20). Over all, opponents consider nuclear power to risky and inefficient to “deserve further support from U.S. taxpayers” (Henderson 104).

Despite the fact the countries continue to increase the production of nuclear energy, my position is that new nuclear power plants should not continue to be built. The current use of nuclear power should be carefully evaluated with a plan to slowly decrease production throughout the world. The negative implications to the environment and economy support my position.

Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience that nuclear energy is a viable power solution to the United States.

Snapchat. Facebook. Pinterest. Instagram. Twitter. All of these have had their time on the top apps list. They originally exploded and most got their ideas on that app, minutes in. It was immediately decided what age range this app was made for(is it inappropriate for children?), how many people would use it, and more. Quite alike, Nuclear energy has exploded, both figuratively and literally. Although in this case Nuclear energy is made for all ages. We all need energy and the solution of getting rid of nuclear power is not the long term solution. We want electricity and also safety at the maximum level. Nuclear power is one of the main go to energy sources when it comes to protecting our planet. It provides clean, safe and non toxic electricity. Other options that are trying to replace nuclear energy have the downsides that could potentially end life. With me constantly talking about Nuclear energy, you might be wondering, what is Nuclear energy?

America’s nuclear energy plants are — by a wide margin — the nation’s largest source of carbon-free power. They produce clean, reliable electricity as well as well-paying jobs. Although several dependable nuclear plants have closed in recent years for economic reasons, nuclear energy is getting a fresh look for its ability to produce vast amounts of power without emitting greenhouse gases. And with new reactor designs, both big and small, scientists and technologists are re-engineering the future of nuclear energy for everyone’s benefit.

“A tiny speck of plutonium-239, as little as three millionths of a gram, can cause lung cancer. One pound of plutonium-239 contains enough specks to kill nine billion people instantly” (Pringle 26). Plutonium-239 is a human-made element, also known as the most dangerous substance on earth. As a by-product of uranium fission, plutonium-239 is created by generating electricity from nuclear sources. Contrary to popular belief, nuclear energy is hazardous and threatening to health. The use of nuclear energy should be banned as evidenced by the number of accidents, health effects, and global impact.

Nuclear energy will end the world! Most people think that nuclear power and energy is a good and efficient way to gain an excess amount of power in a very short amount of time, but what they may not know is that same power and energy is killing the environment and the inhabitants of the places slowly. Nuclear weapons are an extreme danger to the Earth as well because when a nuclear weapon goes off it has the initial impact of the blast, making a massive crater in the ground, and then the residual radiation that comes off with the blast. Which leaves places devastated, irradiated, and uninhabitable for many years, such as Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

The nuclear power plant has no home in our new advanced environment. Once upon a time, nuclear energy was a well and efficient way to produce energy, but it's 2018, not 1951. Over the course of history, the nuclear power plant was one of the first ways of using energy for commercial use. Especially with so many new inventions like the TV coming out, such energy like nuclear energy was amazing. Yet in the 21st century, it is nothing but a nuisance to our clean environment. It causes too many problems and no solutions. That is why nuclear energy should be one of the last results for energy. More environmentally healthy and safer solutions should be pursued. The nuclear power plant is an inadequate way to harvest energy due to its waste, cost, and accidents, yet some would argue that it is an efficient way to obtain energy.

Nuclear power was the world’s fastest growing form of energy in the 1990’s. However, presently it is the second slowest growing worldwide. Considering that nuclear power accounts for eleven percent of the world’s energy supply, one must ask what happened [Nuclear Power]. Why is it that the growth of nuclear power has almost completely stalled? The simple answer is that after meltdowns such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, many people are afraid of nuclear power plants, which causes great opposition to the expansion of the industry. Unfortunately, most people are not well informed about nuclear energy; many do not take the time to view its positives and negatives.

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.

There are millions of people who contribute to a large bias against nuclear technology and would prefer the continued use of natural resources. The “use of nuclear power continues to be a highly debatable topic especially because of the recent developments that have resulted in the misuse of nuclear energy produced“ ( Malyshkina, 2010). In the face of nuclear energy’s societal uncertainty, this new advancement in technology offers many benefits for a world that has dwindling natural resources at a rapid rate. According to a study from the University of California-Davis, “at the current pace of research and development, global oil will run out 90 years before replacement technologies are ready“ (Malyshkina, 2010). Why shouldn’t people

Nuclear energy has been used since 1895 to create weapons that could destroy men by the millions. Scientists later transformed this destructive weapon into a new form of usable, renewable energy. Nuclear energy is energy created by harnessing the energy produced by the nuclear reactions that take place inside the nucleus of the Uranium Isotope 235, ("Nuclear Energy"). Nuclear energy is one attempt to decrease the rate at which nonrenewable fossil fuels are being consumed. Some believe nuclear energy to be an environmentally friendly and self sustaining way to produce energy; however, there are a countless number of social and economically risks to consider; ultimately, the detrimental effects power plant leaks and explosions have on the human body, the cost it takes to produce the plants, and the production of nuclear waste, should be enough to persuade one to turn away from using nuclear energy as a source of power.

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.

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.