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Fukushima Argument Essay

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Due to serious environmental problems caused by the emission of greenhouse gases, renewable energy sources are poised for another burst of evolution. One of them — nuclear energy, is divides the merits of its impact on the earth. Whenever the term “nuclear power” pops up in the media, people often think of bombs, war and deformed human. However, the role of nuclear energy’s roles in the world nowadays are much different. Most of the nuclear energy used today comes in the form of production of electricity. In fact, nuclear power plants are responsible for more than 16% of all of the world’s electricity production.( Research Paper 1) What makes nuclear power popular is its financial efficiency and environmental friendliness. This means it is …show more content…

The earliest impacts of radiation on environment was found in pine forests located in surrounding area in 1958. Races of three experienced the illness “including yellowing of pine needles, defects in tissue development and morphological changes in tissue structures. In areas with contamination greater than 18 MBq/m2, death of vegetation was evident and such effects were sustained for up to 3-4 years after the accident.” (Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority) According to the experiences from the past, radiation will influence surrounding areas more than two decades, even a …show more content…

On March 11th, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake took place one hundred and thirty kilometers offshore the city of Sendai, Miyagi prefecture on the eastern coast of Honshu Island. It caused a severe damage to Japan and caused large tsunami that even caused more damaged. There were four nuclear power plants were operating in that area, and earthquake shut them down automatically. “ The main problem initially centered on Fukushima Daiichi units 1-3. Unit 4 became a problem on day five.The reactors proved robust seismically, but vulnerable to the tsunami.” ( World Nuclear Association 8) The other three units were inundated by fifteen-meter tsunami, causing a meltdown of nuclear fuel rods and several explosion of hydrogen gas. The flood disabled twelfth out of thirteenth back-up generators, and three units lost their ability to

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Nuclear power produces fewer carbon emissions than traditional energy sources because energy is not produced by burning molecules but splitting atoms. ‘An energy mix including nuclear power has the lowest impact on wildlife and Ecosystems’ as shown by a Conservation Biology paper. Consequently, greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by nearly half which shows the benefits and popularity of nuclear power use. Nuclear power has many environmental benefits such as small waste production, leaves no adverse effect on water, land or any habitats. By reducing fossil fuel consumption and switching to Nuclear Energy, we will sustain the environment, quality of air, improving the overall quality of

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1492 Words | 6 Pages

The first advantage of using nuclear power to produce our electricity is that it costs only 1.92 cents per kilowatt hour to produce electricity from nuclear power. Furthermore, nuclear power is a more efficient source of energy than other sources such as coal or natural gas (Figure 5). The two biggest advantages in terms of the wellbeing of planet earth of using nuclear power are that it creates very little to no greenhouse gases, such as CO2, and also it does not use our non-renewable resources. A typical nuclear reactor utilizes uranium-235 as its source of energy, but unfortunately, uranium-235 only makes up 0.72% of all of the uranium on earth. With that being said, the fact that nuclear power does not use un-renewable resources might be being questioned at the moment, but the truth is that even though uranium-235 is a non-renewable resource, a new form of reactor called a breeder reactor, makes this a harmless process in regard to our valuable resources.

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Chernobyl (Nuclear Disaster) Realistically there is no other place to start on this topic in place of the huge Chernobyl Disaster which occurred on the 26th of April in 1986. An accumulation of unexpected events lead to this disaster occurring and to the spread of radiation. The 26th of April was meant to be a routine day where by there was plans to test whether the turbines could produce sufficient energy to maintain the coolant pumps running in the event of a loss of power until the emergency diesel generator was activated. The thing I look at the most is the fact it is known that to prevent any interruptions to the power of the

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1421 Words | 6 Pages

Maxwell Carr Mr. Massengale World History February 2, 2023 Vietnam’s War Impact on the United States Military's Tactics Viet Minh leader Ho Chi Minh famously said, "You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours." "But even at those odds, you will lose and I will win." (Karnow) The Vietnam War was a long and costly conflict that took place from 1955 to 1975 in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia between the communist government of North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam. South Vietnam was supported by the United States.

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171 Words | 1 Pages

The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused an immensely colossal number of displaced people. The number of the evacuees, as of 26 January 2012, was 341,411. Some earthquake survivors died in the shelters or in the process of voidance. Many shelters struggled to aliment evacuees and were not medically sufficiently equipped. Quandaries in stabilizing the Fukushima I plant have hardened postures to nuclear potency.

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885 Words | 4 Pages

The reactors at three nuclear stations closest to the epicenter were automatically shut down following the earthquake, which cut the main power to the cooling systems. Normally backup generators would start to maintain the cooling process, however flooding caused by the earthquake damaged those generators. The Fukushimi Daiichi plant suffered the worst damage and without the backup generators the cooling systems failed in three reactors. Subsequently leading to overheating and a partial meltdown of the fuel rods. The following days after the earthquake, radiation levels began to rise in the surrounding areas, the severity level of the nuclear emergency was raised to the highest level on the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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It also have an environmental impact but less than any other energy resources used for electricity generation. From the current perspective, nuclear power supplies 11 % of the world's energy demand, however it will be going to increase due to the industrialisation, modern lifestyle and increasing of the population (“World energy”, 2014). Additionally, the cost of production of electricity from nuclear power plant is very much less than those conventional style coal fire plant. As coal facing carbon tax and fuel price are rising, Uranium looks promisingly attractive to fulfil the growing energy demand (“Energy for the World - Why Uranium”, 2012).Most countries produced nuclear power from electricity, which is cheap than others. And used for existing plants, and to extend the life of current plants.

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359 Words | 2 Pages

The Tōhoku Earthquake and tsunami That hit Japan in March 2011 caused the reactors to meltdown because they cut off the plants ability to keep the reactors cool. The meltdown of the reactors released iodine and cesium into the surroundings. Iodine causes thyroid

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732 Words | 3 Pages

Nuclear power when used properly can be a boon to societies providing a plentiful source of energy with relatively little waste, however, history has shown that when not handled with the utmost of care nuclear power plant explosions can be devastating. The two major nuclear power plant accidents in history, which have been classified as level 7 events, are The Chernobyl disaster in 1986, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. The of both explosions can be felt to this day as Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus continue to pay substantial decontamination and health care costs of the Chernobyl accident. Japan still feels the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster’s effects although much less so. Currently another radioactive

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3678 Words | 15 Pages

“Nuclear power will help provide the electricity that our growing economy needs without increasing emissions. This is truly an environmentally responsible source of energy.” Michael Burgess Prior to the introduction of nuclear energy, fossil fuel was thought to be the only available source in producing energy. Although fossil fuel, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas, contains high energy value, it produces too many harmful byproducts that ultimately pollute our environment. With the rising concerns over global warming as more and more greenhouse gases accumulate in our Earth’s atmosphere, many voice such opinions that new alternative, yet sustainable method must be adopted to produce energy.

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1358 Words | 6 Pages

It was an early march afternoon when the ground started shaking, buildings began to fall, and people were dying. Then came a tsunami, washing away much of what was left. However, this was not the end of it. The tsunami had damaged nuclear reactors, forcing nearby residents to evacuate as soon as possible. This nuclear disaster has left many uneasy about the future of the nuclear program, some thinking it should be abolished.

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1167 Words | 5 Pages

On March 11, 2011, one of the most powerful earthquakes recorded in Japan and the following tsunami stroke the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station on the east coast of Japan. The massive tsunami flooded the power station, including its backup generator, disabling the cooling water system of the reactors. In the next few days, explosions damaged the station and the explosions of used nuclear rods occurred with radiation released (Yergin, 2011:458-459). Hence, Fukushima disaster was ranked as the level 7 nuclear disaster in the history along with Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The radioactive materials have released into the air and ocean thus aroused the panic in the neighboring countries, including Taiwan (Guardian, Mar 17, 2011).

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1621 Words | 7 Pages

The necessity for energy became a growing demand at a global level. With many different minds governing around the world, each inevitably turns to a unique way to meet their demands. The majority relying on what produces the greatest amount as quickly as possible and few on what could be harnessed from nature. From the sun’s powerful rays, to the strong winds, and even nuclear forms, world powers have established their own ways to produce their energy and do not seek changes. Whichever type of energy a given country decides to use, each has its own positives and negatives aspects.

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01 June 2015. Since some of them might offer a partial position on the topic, pro or against nuclear energy I will try to compare their data every time I am talking about a specific event or situation in order to provide data that are as objective as possible. Even though a thesis should be used to demonstrate a position it is politically correct to list the same data from different sources and not just by the one that is more similar to my position. 8. Main Objectives Nuclear energy has become an integral part our lives.

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Nuclear energy is something that we`ve all heard about. It carries risk and potential. When an atom (Uranium and Plutonium in nuclear power plants) is bombarded by neutrons, it can be split, causing fission. This fission releases more neutrons, which causes a chain reaction. Nuclear power plants use this use the heat that is created by fission to heat water that spins their turbines (“Nuclear Energy”).

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