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Nuclear Power Argument Essay

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Nuclear energy generation entails the utilization of the process of nuclear fission that results in radioactive materials being released into the environment. At the same time, radioactivity is harmful to both the health and environments. This has led to questions being raised about whether the risks of nuclear power are acceptable for the generation of electricity. This essay explores the pros and cons of nuclear energy by focusing on the health and environmental reasons for both sides of the arguments.
Regarding the pros of the nuclear power, one of the pros associated with nuclear energy concerns its clean nature. When compared to the fossil fuel sources of energy, the amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide or chlorofluorocarbons emitted by nuclear power are …show more content…

The nuclear breeders utilize uranium for producing power. When the chain reaction process takes place in the nuclear energy plants, plutonium that is a dangerous product is released (Mahalingam,2013). The plutonium atoms take thousands of years to decay and in the meantime continue to generate radiation up to the point they become non-radioactive. While eating plutonium-contaminated foods or external exposures have no serious health risks, inhaled plutonium poses critical health risks to people (Miller, 2010). The plutonium is absorbed in a chemical format in the lungs and then distributed to the other parts of the body through the blood, and it can cause cancer. In the same vein, the fuel rods from the nuclear reactors require specific storage facilities to avoid radiation leaks and are a danger to the health of those who work there. Without proper storage, the fuel rods can lead to water and soil pollution (Mahalingam, 2010). Lastly, the nuclear power plants can also accidentally release toxic radioactive raw materials, and because such raw materials are difficult to control, they cause many environmental

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In “Nuclear Power is Not the Answer,” Helen Caldicott argues that pursuing nuclear energy would be a detriment to the United States. According to Caldicott, nuclear power, contrary to what the industry claims, is not clean and green, but rather a pollutant and a strong contributor to the destruction of the ozone layer. Because of the availability of uranium ore steadily decreasing, the process is requiring more and more fossil fuels to extract the ore. Caldicott projects that within ten to twenty years, nuclear reactors will be counterproductive because of the amount of fossil fuel it will take to mine the remaining uranium. In addition to air pollution, nuclear power plants also emit radioactive gases and materials that have the potential

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Helen Caldicott’s “Nuclear Power is Not the Answer” In the book-introduction “Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer,” Helen Caldicott argues that the government should stop developing nuclear power as an energy source. Supporting her point, she gives the following reasons: the nuclear energy is not efficient, not safe, not renewable and not environment-friendly. The author explains that in the process of nuclear electricity production, a lot of greenhouse gas and other pollutants are released.

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The unconditional support from alliances can be blamed to cause World War I. The nature of the alliances are laid out in the alliance document. The alliances stipulated assistance and contribution on the signing parties in the event of conflict. It can extend from monetary or logistic sponsorship, similar to the supply of materials or weapons, to military activation and a statement of war. Partnerships might likewise contain monetary components, for example, trade agreements, investment or loans. It is best known to cause World War I.

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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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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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Nuclear energy does not result in the emission of any of greenhouses gases and other poisonous gases for instance, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Nuclear power produces clean and compact energy with no carbon dioxide and using it is the best way to stop the global greenhouse emission causing global warming (Greenberg and Heather 820).

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Nuclear power plants provide a valuable alternative to fossil fuel plants because they do not release tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is an important environmental factor because carbon dioxide contributes to climate change. Not only do nuclear plants produce less carbon dioxide than coal burning plants, they actually release less radioactivity when they are working properly (Brain). Clearly, the environment benefits more from the use of nuclear power plants rather than fossil fuel plants.

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The waste produced by the power plant has the ability to seek into the main water supply and the soil, evidently making the sources radioactive. Threats have also presented itself of possible attacks on a nuclear power plant. The dangerous and lethal effects that if a nuclear power plant were to have a meltdown are extreme. The radioactive material has the ability to travel and expand further than a uranium nuclear blast. The death toll will increase as radiation will travel for miles and miles reaching places that are not in near of the power plant.

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Nuclear power plants are bad for the environment and for the organisms in and around it because they are so deadly and destructive. In power plants the nuclear reaction of fission is forced, creating an extreme amount of energy and deadly radiation. Nuclear fission is the splitting of a heavy nucleus into two lighter ones, for fission to occur requires extreme heat and pressure. When the nuclear fission occurs it produces electromagnetic radiation in the form of gamma rays, which is the most deadly form of radiation (britannica). Everything within a 50 mile radius will receive an average dose 0.01 millirem per year (nrc.org).

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Fossil fuels depend on burning, “…a fossil-fueled power plant relies on the ancient technology of fire to produce heat; such plants burn hydrocarbon fuels such as methane or pulverized coal” (The Differences). This burning effect causes much of the greenhouse gases that are accused of starting climate change. Nuclear energy avoids this altogether because it produces steam which is not hurtful to the earth. “We conclude that nuclear energy…needs to be… significantly

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This is evident in Figure … where an equivalent amount of energy is given, the nuclear energy is able to sustain power up to years, where normal fossil fuel can only sustain up to a few days. Although there are debates that the life span of nuclear power sources such as Uranium is low and is comparable to oil, this do not pose a threat as nuclear energy can be recycled. In addition, nuclear power plant only emits hot water into the environment which makes it environmental friendly. In fact, little or almost no carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere.

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Nuclear power stations produce a huge amount of energy for the quality of raw fuel used, but dangerous situations arise when this energy isn’t controlled properly. The containment of radioactive waste from spent fuel rods also poses a long-term problem. I will be telling you some facts about Nuclear power. Here are some pros and cons of this energy source. One of the substances they use to create the heat in a reactor is Uranium Fuel.

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Today, there are 440 operating nuclear reactors around the world, plus 65 more under construction, according the World Nuclear Association. With its rising popularity, concerns regarding nuclear power are also rising. The arguments of opponents who perceive nuclear power as “unstable” and “unsafe” seem to be overpowering, but the bright side of nuclear power actually overweighs its dark side. Opponents of nuclear power say: “Nuclear reactors are too dangerous because of the radiation exposure”. According to a study, a majority stated that they think of the word: “disaster” or “bad” when thinking about nuclear power, and try to prevent living or working near a nuclear power reactor due to the radiation exposure.

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As a result of using nuclear power plants through the onset of its creation, emissions of greenhouse gases have been reduced by nearly 50%. Out of the many ways that people generate energy, using nuclear reactors are the lowest in impact on the environment, due to the fact that it does not release any gases like CO2 or Methane (Gases largely responsible for the greenhouse effect). Nuclear plants are also very efficient and powerful in comparison to alternate energy sources. They are much more reliable than energy derived from sunlight or the wind, because, in contrast to needing the right weather, nuclear power plants can produce power 24/7. The only thing to it, is that it’ll be needed to be shut down every once in awhile for maintenance purposes.

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Per NASA, the 2015 global annual average was 0.87 °C whereas, just a few decades ago, the 1964 global annual average was a mere -0.21°C. This is increase in global temperature is mainly due to the discharge of methane and carbon dioxide when fossil fuels are combusted. On the other hand, nuclear energy has a significantly reduced negative effect on nature because it does not produce gases like methane and carbon dioxide, which are the primary greenhouse gases. Nuclear power compared to the traditional extract and combust is much more green towards the environment. Per the Nuclear Energy Institute, it has been determined that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted decreased by almost half because of energy generated from nuclear fission.

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