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Advantage And Disadvantage Of Nuclear Energy Essay

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INTRODUCTION
In the past, energy sustainability is simply defined in terms of the availability of energy sources as opposed to energy consumption. However in today’s context, other aspects such as its impact on the environment, are equally important. So to be totally energy-sustainable would mean to have a continuous supply of clean energy. This is especially important for a small country like Singapore whereby natural resources are scarce and hence not able to meet the expanding energy demand of a rapidly growing population. Furthermore, due to the unfavorable geographical boundaries of Singapore, possibility for wave, geothermal and hydro energy harvesting have been ruled out. As for wind energy, because of the relatively low average wind …show more content…

Considering the limitations that Singapore is currently facing, nuclear power does seem to be the best choice and to justify this, in this essay, I will evaluate the pros and cons of nuclear power by comparing it with some other alternative …show more content…

These wastes are generally classified into 3 types; low-level waste, intermediate-level waste and high-level waste. This classification is based on the on the degree of radioactivity of the waste and the time taken for the radioactivity of the waste to decay which is in turn dependent on the half-life (the time it takes for half of the atoms to decay into another nuclide) of the radionuclide (nuclides that are radioactive). Ultimately, all the radioactive waste will decay to form non-radioactive elements. Different measures are improvised to manage different types of wastes. For the low-level and intermediate-level wastes, they are typically stored on-site by licensees, either until it has decayed away and can be disposed of as ordinary trash, or until the amount stored is large enough for shipment to a low-level waste disposal site in approved containers. On the other hand, high-level wastes (primarily spent uranium fuel), which are hazardous and remain so for thousands of years, are stored in “spent fuel pools” for 10-20 years before being shifted into dry casks. An example would be Plutonium (Pu-239) which has a half-life of about 24000 years. Such measures are however, just temporary solutions with the ultimate goal being permanent disposal through an underground geologic repository, but this in itself poses yet another problem. As high-level wastes

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When the nuclei of Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 undergo nuclear fission, they produce waste as a by-product, which is known as nuclear waste or “fission fragments”. (Leslie Corrice, 2015) This waste contains radioisotopes, which are radioactive isotopes that have long half-lives. This means that the radioisotopes are able to stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of thousands of years, which is extremely hazardous to the earth’s environment. Very commonly this waste contaminates water and ruins the quality of both air and soil, which in turn devastates the planet.

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Power plants burn fuel to produce heat to generate energy; however, nuclear power plants use the heat given off fission to turn water into steam. Nuclear energy is without a doubt a great way to power our homes because, Nuclear power plants are safer than other energy alternatives. Nuclear plants are safer than other energy alternatives. Coal is responsible for five times more deaths than nuclear power plants, coal also causes over one thousands more serious causes of illness than nuclear. Nuclear plants produce steam while coal plants, heat water by burning coal that produces greenhouse emissions.

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In Richard A. Muller’s “Nuclear Waste”, he discusses the problem with left over nuclear waste and how it is causing headaches for scientists and politicians. The University of California at Berkeley professor agrees that nuclear waste does present a threat to our well being, but also states that society assumes there is a much larger danger than actually exists. Muller does a great job at proving his point by explaining how nuclear waste is not a forever lasting danger and by also providing alternative methods of storing the waste. Regardless of whether one supports the development of nukes, Muller mentions that this waste already exists and a solution must be made for it.

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Truman did not utilize his power well while faced with the decision to drop the bomb. This is because there were other ways to solve the problem, and it was savage and brutal. The relationship between Japan and America will never be the same. It was so inhumane to drop the bomb.

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Schlosser asserts that Iran shouldn’t be able to possess nuclear weapons due to the pervasive threat it will pose. He acknowledges that nuclear weapons haven’t been used since the World War II, which suggests that a nuclear war will never happen. In addition, Schlosser emphasizes the ubiquity of the belief that nuclear weapons serve as war deterrents between nuclear powers by quoting Kenneth Waltz. Schlosser agrees that the belief does describe recent situations but doesn’t portray the future.

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This waste must be kept up, observed and watched to keep the materials from falling into the wrong hands and causing problems. These administrations and included materials cost cash – on top of the high expenses needed to put together a plant, which may make it less desirable to invest in. d) Uranium is Finite - Uranium is finite and exists in few of the countries. It is pretty expensive to mine, refine and transport uranium. It produces considerable amount of waste during all these activities and can result in environmental contamination and serous health effects, if not handled properly.

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According to shmoop.com, there were 1.9 billion soldiers deployed and 72 million total deaths during World War 2. Although much of the war was fought by the soldiers, there was also almost a completely different war going on between physicists. There was an arms race to see who would be first to build the atomic bomb. The main countries who were a part of this war of physics was Germany, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Germany hit a road block and fell behind the other countries.

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The Atomic Bomb We all know that the droppings of the A-bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War 2, but was it really the right thing to do? World war 2 was one of the most devastating wars fought in the history of mankind, resulting in the death of millions on both sides of the war. The dropping of the A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the best strategic and political thing to do, but it might not have been the most moral thing to do. In the month of April of 1945, the war in Europe was coming to an end with both America, and Russia conducting attacks against Germany on two fronts, but the war going on in the Pacific was still raging on.

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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 low level waste gets put into a system of containers underground where the waste will sit until non-radioactive. To get rid of high level waste you have to decontaminate it until it reaches low level of radiation. Then start the same system as the low level until the byproduct is finally at a neutral state. This system is done by the NRC and the Department of Energy. Nuclear waste has to be handled carefully or it could be harmful.

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High Level waste is primarily from reactors that power electricity, while low level waste is from reactors supporting medical, and commercial uses (“Backgrounder on Radioactive...”). The special containers used to conceal the high level waste are referred to as “dry casks,” which

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Nuclear energy may be the solution that eliminates our concern for energy production in the future, but it still remains a huge issue for the environment. Despite its wide use in many developed countries, nuclear energy poses many threats to both the

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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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