The Viability of Fission and Fusion for our Planet Essay

The issue of radioactive waste is still an unsolved one. The waste from atomic vitality is to a great degree risky and it must be deliberately cared for a few thousand years (10'000 years as indicated by United States Environmental Protection Agency measures).

Firstly, nuclear waste is hard to dispose of. Unlike other power sources, nuclear waste is still not known about how to dispose of. This is a problem because the waste emits radiation, which can leak into the environment. Chernobyl is

On the other hand, should a nuclear meltdown occur due to an uncontrolled reaction, dangerous radiation would be released potentially harming people. Another similar situation that arises is the storage of waste products which again leads to the same issue of safety; is it worth the risk? Human society, cultures, and politics too have affected the development of nuclear fission and its applications. Modern cultures promote the use of nuclear energy, saying that it will prosper for the future; however, more conservative cultures are unsure about what it will lead to.

My research team and I believe that fusion is better to put 10 billion dollars into rather than fission because fusion is safer and more efficient. Joseph McClain from The College of William & Mary proceeds to say, "The nice thing about a fusion reaction is that if somehow it would go out of control, it would just stop itself automatically. If a fission reaction goes out of control, it can really go out of control, you can't stop it and it actually might go into a nuclear meltdown." It’s better to possess something that will simply burn out itself provoking no infliction rather than producing something comparable to fission that can generate a tremendous disaster and go into nuclear meltdown. Another prominent example regarding how fusion is

¬Nuclear energy is energy in the nucleus (core) of an atom. Atoms are tiny particles that make up every object in the universe. There is enormous energy in the bonds that hold atoms together. Nuclear energy can be used to make electricity. But first the energy must be released. It can be released from atoms in two ways: nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. In nuclear fusion, energy is released when atoms are combined or fused together to form a larger atom. This is how the sun produces energy. In nuclear fission, atoms are split apart to form smaller atoms, releasing energy. Nuclear power plants use nuclear fission to produce electricity.

As our worlds most relied upon source of energy, fossil fuel, continues to deplete we are continuing to make advances in technology that can provide us with renewable energy; energy that is obtained from natural resources i.e. wind, solar, water, and can be constantly replenished. Whilst we already have some forms of renewable energy available in the form of wind farms and solar panels for example, there are a lot of obstacle that need to be overcome before they can be completely relied upon and for now it is unlikely that we are going to be able to render our fossil fuels obsolete just yet. The last innovation in terms of renewable energy comes in the form of nuclear fusion. Global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin have made claims

The increasing population of the world is making demands on the availability of energy supply and research has

An object of fear is one that isn't understood, however, how is one to understand when one doesn't even know the object's origins? To understand an object that was created far before any other being is simply impossible; when one is so determined to understand something, we create theories that will satisfy our tasteless fruit of a mind. When one looks up at the night sky and ponders about all but our beautiful and unique moon, how foolish must they be? The moon is our tide keeper, the stabilizer of all that is in this world, yet the common person will look past it and instead look at the stars! The stars are nothing in comparison to our beautiful moon! Oh, misunderstood moon, fear not anymore! For all the lies told about you are finally being

A change in the identity or characteristics of an atomic nucleus that results when it is bombarded with an energetic particle, as in fission, fusion, or radioactive decay. There are two main types of nuclear reactions: fusion and fission. This is an example of fission. Fission occurs when a large nucleus is bombarded by a small particle, such as a neutron. The result is two smaller nuclei and additional neutrons, and a chain reaction process begins.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) addresses spent fuel storage debate by pools or dry casks, highlighting key points and questions and answers. All U.S. nuclear power plants utilize cooling ponds, or pools, to store spent nuclear fuel. The USNRC deems these cooling points sufficient; however, many others do not, especially if pools ever experienced loss of water and the rods were exposed, thereby melting down and dispersing radioactive material. Case in point: look no further than the near disaster, miraculously averted, at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011. The pond supporting Reactor 4 was compromised and losing water, nearly exposing the rods; until miraculously, a nearby water line was broken, filling the pond inadvertently, and avoiding complete disaster. Had this water not cooled the spent rods, avoiding meltdown and radioactive fall-out, none other than Japanese Prime Minister Kan believed the very existence of Japan was at stake. Therefore, although more expensive, dry casks may provide a safer and more secure alternative to temporarily store spent rods and waste fuel going forward, in

Energy, especially electricity, is important for economic development. Electricity plays an important role toward economic growth as it is essential in using pieces of equipment that are used in the manufacturing processes of various products (ESMAP 8). The increasing population and expanding economy contribute to the increase in the demand for electricity. Especially in summer, there are many people would like to stay at home with the air conditioning on rather than having activities outdoors. Currently, China is the major consumer of electricity because of the huge population and industrial demand. However, the electricity produced in this country is not enough to supply its needs (Global Energy). The economic progress could not pursue if there is insufficient amount of energy that any country could use.

Energy is an integral part of human society. From our basic needs of food and shelter to transport and industry, if we are to survive and prosper as a species our energy needs will need to continue to be met. At present the majority of the world’s energy needs are being met by fossil fuels such as oil and coal (Asif& Muneer, 2005). Demand for energy is forecast to rise by 57% by 2025 (Asif& Muneer, 2005) while at the same time fuel reserves are becoming depleted. As well as reserves not being able to satisfy demand, the continual burning of oil and coal is having a major effect on the climate, contributing to global warming as well as a degrading of the environment in general. This is particularly evident in the third world where rampant population growth coupled with a desire for improved standards of living and a move to western life styles means a rapid increase in demand for energy. In shot we need an alternative to oil and coal. There are two main candidates, renewable energy and nuclear power. Nuclear power has the potential to supply the world with clean and cheap energy but there are a number of draw backs to using this source of energy. These include concerns over safety, proliferation, cost and dealing with waste (Asif & Muneer, 2005).

Electricity is the mainstay of our society, so its production is essential. However, this production and its delivery come with inevitable environmental, social and economic impact. How we secure a sustainable future for electricity relies on implementing new technology, improving existing methods and ensuring affordable consumer pathways.  Sustainable energy is a form of energy that can meet today’s demand of consumption without putting our natural resources in danger of expiration or depletion and can be used over and over again. Sustainable energy should be widely encouraged as it does not cause any harm to the environment and is available widely free of cost (Conserve Energy Future, 2016). In a recent update of the world population estimate by the United Nations, the number of living humans was estimated to be in excess of 7 billion with the expectation to exceed 9 billion people by 2050. With such a large growth relate, electricity demand will grow insatiably.

The International Energy Outlook 2013 predicts that the biggest future increase in world energy use will be caused by Non-OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, while the energy use within the OECD countries will stay generally stable as it has for the past decades which can be observed in figure 1 (EIA 2015). The OECD countries are experiencing a growth rate of about 0.5% which roughly equates their population growth (EIA 2015). The energy use in non-OECD countries is estimated to increases with an annual rate of 2.2% which would mean they make up for 65% of the world’s primary energy demand in 2040 (EIA 2015).

Humankind has an increasing need for energy and electricity. This is evident in how we