The Issue Of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear power should not be dismissed and must be included as a major component of an alternative energy source to replace fossil fuels as it has the greatest potential to be the primary energy source in the future which can work together with other alternative renewable energy sources to combat global warming and to help meet the world’s growing energy demand

Chernobyl, Fukushima and Three Mile Island — all known as major nuclear power disasters. Nuclear power might be a good source of power, but in the long run it can be a real hazard and should be banned. If we rely on nuclear power to be our primary power source, it will cause major problems to humans and the environment. Nuclear power is hard to dispose of, expensive to run, and the reactors can easily be disrupted and cause the release of massive amounts of radiation.

Nuclear Power is widely regarded as a viable choice in enabling sustainable development, especially when renewable energy sources remain in their growing stage of development and distribution. Nuclear Power has many benefits compared to f of However, nuclear power also remains one of the most controversial sources of energy. The debates on it are mainly based along the lines of environmental, safety and security.

Nuclear energy has many benefits, but do they outweigh the cons? The argument over nuclear energy has continued for many years. Nuclear power does not emit greenhouse gases and produces massive amounts of energy, but does produce gargantuous amounts of radioactive waste. The benefits of nuclear power do not outweigh the cons.

While there are plenty of benefits to using nuclear power, there are numerous disadvantages that also come with its use. There have been nuclear incidents throughout history that have caused many questions to be raised about how safe nuclear energy really is. One of the most notable accidents is the one that happened at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine. An explosion at the plant destroyed the reactor core which in released radioactive material into the atmosphere. This accident has been considered the largest uncontrolled radioactive release into the environment ever. This hasn’t been the only incident in history that has turned head though. There was an earthquake in Japan that caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s core to experience a meltdown. Because of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, a tsunami caused water to seep into the plant generators which lead to temperatures and reaction rates being uncontrollable and ultimate the release of tons of radioactive waste into the environment. Three Mile Island, a nuclear power plant located in Pennsylvania, is considered the most significant accident that has happened on American soil when it comes to dealing with nuclear energy. Numerous mechanical and human errors lead to a chain of events that no one could have seen coming that resulted in a partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor. It’s because of this accident that no new nuclear power plants have been constructed in the United States. The impact that the Three Mile

For many Americans, the electric bill is the most dreaded bill to arrive each month; it is always expensive, yet it doesn’t have to be. To lower electricity costs for citizens and businesses, the Unites States could increase its use of nuclear power. Nuclear energy is created when an unstable radioactive element decays and emits nanoparticles called radiation. With today’s current technology, the emission of these atoms as well as the energy released can be controlled and used in different ways. One such way is in the creation of electricity produced by nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is not renewable; however, it meets every reasonable criterion for sustainability, which is a primary concern for many people. Furthermore, the United States should use nuclear energy as its main source of power for three primary reasons: first, it is the most reliable source of power in the world today. Second, it is more cost effective than any other non-renewable resource and, finally, nuclear energy releases no greenhouse gasses, which contribute to global warming.

Nuclear power has always been marked as a dangerous source of energy. It is not. Nuclear power accounts for 20% of our electricity production, yet only 5 deaths can be attributed to it, none actually nuclear related, with 4 deaths due to electrocution and 1 death from a falling object (World Nuclear Association). We have had only three nuclear power accidents that resulted in nuclear contamination in the 65 years we have been producing energy; Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima Daiichi. Chernobyl was the result of a fairly primitive, unsafe design and untrained operators (Chernobyl). The disaster happened during a special test that should have been safe, but the operators did not follow the safe procedures. Even so, after the problems had already arisen, the operators could had turned back on the automatic controls, that is, just let the plant control itself, the disaster would not have happened. Three Mile Island also was mainly a result

Nuclear power is not safe. An accident is likely to occur every 10-20 years. For example, a European study from Science Daily stated that, “Based on the operating hours of all civil nuclear reactors and the number of nuclear meltdowns that have occurred, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz have calculated that such events may occur once every 10 to 20 years.” This evidence demonstrates that, nuclear accidents happen more often than we think they do. The dangerous aspect of a nuclear accident is the amount of radiation that is spewed into the atmosphere and the surrounding environment. Radiation causes sickness, cancer, mutations,

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 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.

Another source of energy that is available is wind power. Wind power is able to turn a mill that generates electricity. Wind power is a source of energy that is very reliable, steady, and consistent from year to year. The growth of the wind power sources can lead to more jobs that will help America 's and the world 's economy grow (Williams,"What Are the Different").

The world's natural resources are being consumed at an alarming rate. As these resources diminish, people will be seeking alternative sources by which to generate electricity for heat and light. The only practical short-term solution for the energy/pollution crisis should be nuclear power because it is available, cleaner and safer.

People have used nuclear power as their energy sources. Some people like using nuclear power because it produces more electricity while releasing less carbon dioxide. Others, despise using nuclear power since it’s perilous. Nuclear power could be our solution to lowering global warming and saving the polar caps, however good things comes with bad things. The waste could seep through the grounds, contaminating our water. Not to mention, the marine animals and plants will become contaminated as well. Therefore, nuclear power should not be used.

As of today, eighty-one percent of the United States energy demand is supplied by fossil fuels. Fossil Fuels, like petroleum (oil) and coal, are organic compounds found in the Earth’s crust. They are created from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago and are used in the form of concentrated biomass. Coal was the first widespread fuel, but eventually alternative ways of making energy without the pollution to the Earth’s atmosphere and surface were found. One of the most influential alternatives is nuclear energy. Believe it or not, one lb of nuclear fuel-enriched uranium contains the amount of energy found in 1,500 tons of coal!

Since the beginning of time humans had to adapt to survive, from dinosaurs to animals like lions and tigers but later in time, some humans learned to work together, while working together they too wondered about the world and created science, which helped create modern-day cities. Working together for so long they started to research new and alternative ways to create and store energy, wind energy, they discovered hydroelectricity, then came solar energy, then their was the discovery of coal and last but not least nuclear energy. Nuclear energy can have a positive impact on humans and a negative impact on humans and wildlife. “One element that is most commonly used is Uranium. Uranium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a German chemist, in the mineral pitchblende (primarily a mix of uranium oxides) in 1789. Although Klaproth, as well as the rest of the scientific community, believed that the substance he extracted from pitchblende was pure uranium, it was actually uranium dioxide. After noticing that 'pure' uranium reacted oddly with uranium tetrachloride. Eugène-Melchior Péligot, a French chemist isolated pure uranium by heating uranium dioxide with potassium in a platinum crucible. Radioactivity was first discovered in 1896 when Antoine Henri Becquerel, a French physicist, detected it from a sample of uranium. Today, uranium is obtained from uranium ores such as pitchblende, uraninite, carnotite and autunite as well as from phosphate rock, lignite (brown coal) and