Is Nuclear Energy A Safe Alternative To Fossil Fuels

There has been a question asked since nuclear power was invented, is nuclear energy a safe alternative to fossil fuels? Fossil Fuels are formed from decomposed animals. Fossil fuels contain large amounts of carbon. Nuclear energy is made when uranium goes through chemical reactions such as nuclear fusion, fission, and decay. Uranium can be extracted from uranium ore. The article by Judy Harr, “Fossil Fuel vs. Nuclear for Safe and Clean Power,” tells us how nuclear energy is better than fossil fuels. Then in the article, “Why nuclear power will never supply the world's energy needs,” by Lisa Zyga gives us examples of how nuclear energy is insufficient when compared to fossil fuels. Is nuclear energy a safe alternative to fossil fuels? Some

The amount of land that nuclear power plants take up is large and where the land is located is very specific. “One Nuclear reactor needs about 20.5km2…,”(Zyga). Then the reactor needs to be located away from areas with high populations so that if a nuclear meltdown happens then no civilians will be harmed and near a body of water so it can be used as a coolant for the reactor so it does not overheat. Another reason why nuclear energy is insufficient is because there is no eco-friendly way to dispose of the nuclear waste. If we are just dumping radioactive waste into the ground then it will seep into groundwater or runoff and eventually getting into the ocean or lakes causing the bodies of water to become polluted with radioactive material in turn harming the environment. These nuclear power plants are a “target for terrorism,” (Triple Pundit). If we keep building more and more power plants then there is a greater chance that terrorists will try to attack them because there are a lot of them because they are easy targets. If these plants are attacked they will either explode and cause major devastation or the terrorists could use the uranium to make bombs and weapons. “The legacy of environmental contamination and health costs for miners and mines has been catastrophic,”(Triple Pundit). This now makes us realize that the jobs

The article written by Judy Haar shows us why nuclear energy is safer than fossil fuels. Haar tells us that, “nuclear power, at 20%, is produced through 104 reactors in 31 states,” and this gives us an example of how much electrical power that the nuclear energy industry produces. “Compared to coal, gas, and other electric-generating plants, nuclear offers the lowest by far in greenhouse gas release,” (Renewable Resources). According to Renewable Resources Coalition, nuclear power puts off less environmentally harming gases than fossil fuels. This makes nuclear energy safer for the environment than fossil fuels. Nuclear energy is not dependent on the unpredictable cost fossil fuels. If the price of oil skyrockets and no one can afford it then we still have nuclear energy to produce power. “It is estimated the amount of energy released in a nuclear fission reaction is ten million times greater than the amount released in burning a fossil fuel atom,” (Maehlum). So nuclear energy is also more efficient than fossil fuels due to the different chemical reactions. Because there are multiple chemical reactions that can be used to make energy, there is more ways to use the uranium. Nuclear fission produces more energy per atom than burning an atom of fossil fuels. This means that less fossil fuels being burned then the environment is healthier because there is less pollution