The Energy Source Of Nuclear Power

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

As global warming becomes an even greater problem and efficient sources of energy are hard to find, nuclear energy has increased in popularity. For example, “Global climate change and depleting stores of fossil fuels have brought the need for new energy sources to the international stage. US president Barack Obama publicly supported the creation of new nuclear power plants in the United States as an alternative to fossil fuels” (“Nuclear Energy”). Also, as the years go by, nuclear energy is becoming a source that unites many nations around the world. For example, last year the global community came together in Paris, France, where leaders and representatives from almost every nation discussed the problem of global warming and what the world can do to slow this increasingly dangerous issue. The main goal was to knock down the net of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere to zero. Although many thought that this would be impossible, after much discussion they realized that it would not be too difficult by using nuclear energy. This plan has proven to be effective by both France’s and Sweden’s dramatic drop in carbon emissions by using nuclear energy (Newsela Staff). Therefore, with global warming increasing, and there being a lack of alternative energy sources to which to turn, nuclear power is becoming increasingly popular globally due to its many benefits

The effects of climate change have already begun to take place, as the United States and other countries face hurricanes, heat waves, and snowstorms. As all scientists know, these changes are the results of carbon dioxide building up in the atmosphere. The main sources of this pollution are coal and oil plants. Nuclear power is a less pollutive alternative to coal plants, but its negatives outweigh its positives. Nuclear power produces a large amount of harmful byproducts that scientists cannot discard, and nuclear plants face the dangerously likely risk of a plant collapse. There are many, better alternatives to nuclear, oil, and coal power such as solar and wind power that have little

Non-renewable energy sources “cannot be replenished in a short period of time.” (U.S. Energy Information Administration) These non-renewable sources are harmful to the environment and if depleted, they cannot be replenished by natural means at the same rate that it is consumed. The process of burning fossil fuels have many harmful consequences to the environment and humans. “Fossil-fueled power plants emit air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and toxic chemicals (heavy metals: mercury, chromium, and arsenic), and mobile sources, such as fossil-fueled vehicles, emit nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. Exposure to these pollutants can cause heart disease, asthma, and other human health problems. In addition, emissions from fossil fuel combustion are responsible for acid rain, which has led to the acidification of many lakes and consequent damage to aquatic life, leaf damage in many forests, and the production of smog in or near many urban areas. Furthermore, the burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the main greenhouse gases that cause global warming.” ( "Renewable Energy”, n.d.) Nuclear energy is the energy released during nuclear fission or fusion. Nuclear power plants make “about 20% of U.S. electricity”. (U.S. EIA) The problem with nuclear energy is that it produces radioactive waste as well as electricity. “ The main environmental concern related to nuclear power is the creation of radioactive wastes such as uranium mill tailings, spent (used) reactor fuel, and other radioactive wastes. These materials can remain radioactive and dangerous to human health for thousands of years. Radioactive wastes are subject to special

Energy is an essential aspect of life that has influenced human research for generations. The pursuit for sources of energy has lead to human dependency on fossil fuels and other sources such as coal. These energy resources were useful but they are slowly depleting and aren’t a long-term resource. With this in mind humans have sought for improved forms of energy; this has lead to many new forms of energy and innovations. An energy resource that was discovered was Nuclear Energy. Nuclear energy has made its way into the demographic of human energy resources. Do the benefits of nuclear energy out weigh the risk and cost? Can this form of energy uphold against scrutiny based on its negative effects and if so is it a long-term resource? Nuclear energy has advanced significantly but with this progression there are many risks, risks that may cause the future of nuclear energy use to be unclear. Throughout my research I discovered the types of nuclear reactions that are developed in order to create nuclear energy, consumption levels of nuclear energy has increased in recent years in areas such as the USA, the hazards that are always associated with nuclear energy, the amount of capital needed to create the essential environment for production, maintenance of these environments, storing of the products produced by nuclear reactions and expert based opinions on nuclear power’s effect on the world and its future as an energy source.

Humanity is at a critical point in its history. Sea levels have risen by around three millimeters per year since 1993 (“Sea Level"), and atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are measured at 399.3 parts per million (ppm) as of November 2014 ("Carbon Dioxide"). This is particularly shocking when one considers that over the past 800,000 years, carbon dioxide fluctuations have stayed between 180 and 300 ppm (Smol). Global average temperature, the central focus of climate change, has increased by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. In fact, the current century has seen ten of the warmest years on record ("News and Features") These and other statistics are all commonly attributed to human activity and industrialization. Furthermore, the world population will continue to grow, and third-world countries will begin to develop in the coming years, thus adding millions more people in need of electricity. Progressions such as these emphasize the need for a cleaner and more sustainable source of energy to replace fossil fuels.

Nuclear power is one of the most controversial forms of energy in the modern world; the destructive power of nuclear armaments has led to worldwide fear of nuclear energy. But as scientific communities continue to learn more about nuclear power, as well as ways to make it more practical in the competitive energy market, it may soon see an increase in its use in the United States. Consequently, several major problems with nuclear energy need to be evaluated by the U.S., and potential improvements to these issues recognized. First, a finite supply of fuel and a strong energy market to compete with necessitate improvements to the efficiency of energy production in nuclear plants. Subsequently, fuel that has been used in a reactor, now

Various energy resources are capable of generating waste that can be decomposed after several years, such as carbon emissions. However, nuclear energy damages the earth to an extent that could remain for several million years. Energy resources such as carbon emissions are decomposable after several years, yet nuclear energy appears to produce the greatest amount of damaging effects to this planet. Nuclear waste can remain deadly on earth’s surface for millions of years. Many citizens may have some form of knowledge on nuclear energy, but are not well informed about it. This form of energy is known to come from the separation of atoms from a particular element in turn releasing a form of energy. These small microscopic atoms may seem harmless however, when creating this form of energy it produces what is known as radiation. When this energy is produced radioactive waste follows, which in turn, can be incredibly hazardous for humans, animals, and plant life. This energy can pose as a threat, especially when the radioactive waste is not disposed of properly contaminating the surrounding environment. Nuclear power plants require a great deal of labor, expenditures, as well as upkeep. When considering nuclear energy as a valuable source of energy, one must consider the various disadvantages including possible environmental threats, potential malfunction or failure, and constructing expenses as well as maintenance.

The energy demand in America, is the highest in history. The main source of creating energy is burning fossil fuels, which dumps trillions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year. Lucky there is Nuclear Energy now, which generates enormous amounts of electricity without any emotions of greenhouse gases. Nuclear energy could be this nation and even the solution to the huge power demand in the world, lowering the cost of electricity. Of course there are pros and cons of everything in this world, but the pros outweigh the cons for this solution. The use of Nuclear energy argues that it is the key to futures power demand, and the elimination of greenhouse gases, with minimal damage to the environment.

Nuclear power is one of the cleanest forms of energy in operation, with an almost nonexistent carbon footprint (Melville, 2013, p. 2). However, the cost associated with building and commissioning a nuclear plant is in the billions. Alberta’s recent economic hardship due to the drop in the price of oil, resulting in an energy crisis and a high unemployment rate caused leaders to look for solutions to Canada’s problem. Justin Trudeau plans to “Create a $2 billion fund to support projects aimed at cutting carbon emissions.” (Dinshaw, 2015, para. 6). Creating a nuclear plant project in Alberta could receive funding from Trudeau’s government, could create jobs for many Albertans, and could stimulate the economy across western Canada. In effect, benefitting Canada’s future as a whole, especially at a time like this.

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.

There are many ways nuclear energy impacts America. Nuclear energy can either damage or be an effective way to harness energy in the U.S. Many Americans believe that using nuclear energy is dangerous but beneficial to the entire world. Truth be told both sides are correct. Some pros of using nuclear energy are the low cost of production plus in return also gaining a enormous load of energy,  the low pollution levels, and also being more reliable than solar or wind energy which needs to have sun or windy areas to operate when in turn nuclear power plants can work in any weather conditions and can create energy all the time only being shut down for maintenance checks. While having many pros there are also many cons. Unfortunately for such a

What is Nuclear Power? Nuclear power uses nuclear fission to release nuclear energy which creates heat that can then be used in nuclear power stations to provide electricity. In nuclear fission, the nucleus splits apart generating large amounts of energy. Nuclear fusion is also an excellent energy source because it produces no greenhouse gases or combustion products which are not radioactive. The drawback is that it takes too much energy so we are sticking to nuclear fission. Nuclear power a controversial issue because of accidents in previous years and the amount it costs to build advanced reactors. These accidents still have lasting effects that we as a country are working to fix. However I believe the most promising form of energy is nuclear power. Between nuclear power and fossil fuels, nuclear power is the safest, most environmentally friendly and will meet our country 's energy demands in the future. The arguments I will be addressing in this essay are the environment, safety, economics and energetics.

In the United States, nuclear energy produces about 19.7 percent of the total energy produced. Nuclear energy is the backbone of energy production, but it comes with setbacks. It’s elderly technology, in general, and the after-product of nuclear fuel is radioactive waste. There are numerous other cheaper and other effective alternatives to little/no carbon emission power sources, like natural gas. Nuclear energy, along with toxic waste, decreasing supplies of uranium and risks along running a nuclear power plant, is not a safe and effective energy source.

As a whole, reliance on fossil fuels contributes to climate change, which will lead to disastrous consequences in the future. One of the many changes that can be made is to use cleaner sources of energy, of which nuclear is one of them.