In 2003, 17% of the world’s electricity came from nuclear power (Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2003). In 2012, 9 years later, this percentage dropped nearly 5 percent to 12.3% (Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), 2015). While percentages have dropped, nuclear energy remains one of the few base load electricity sources. It is one of the energy sources that never stops producing electricity in the world. Nuclear power is a reliable solution for an efficient as well as eco-friendly method of producing electricity and aspects of it deserves to be further developed, as it produces significantly less permanent waste compared to the fossil fuels industry, emits less greenhouse gas than even solar energy, and a large portion of its waste products can be recycled. By harnessing the thermal energy generated by nuclear fission, power plants can use it to heat water and power steam generators. Nuclear fission is the act of firing a neutron (a part of an atom’s nucleus) into a radioactive atom. The extra neutron causes the atom to …show more content…
Some believe that treatment of the radioactive waste will be handled irresponsibly and there will be major leakages, possibly even leading to contamination of an entire area. However, there are many precautions that are taken to make sure the waste will not leak and wreak havoc on the environment it resides in. According to the WNA (2014), the used fuel pellets are first put in containers that are insoluble, made of material such as synthetic rock and borosilicate glass. Those containers are then put inside larger boxes, usually made of sturdy and corrosion-resistant material, such as stainless steel. These boxes are put deeply underground in locations that are not prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes. Finally, those holes are filled in with bentonite