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The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

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Nuclear Power
"More and more companies are reaching out to their suppliers and contractors to work jointly on issues of sustainability, environmental responsibility, ethics, and compliance." ~Simon Mainwaring. Like any other source and form of energy, nuclear power has both its positive and negative attributes. However, the negative unfortunately outweigh the positive significantly. Nuclear waste; produced by the construction of nuclear power plants and nuclear energy production, is a highly contaminative substance , that severely harms the surrounding environment and presents itself as a health hazard to the public.
Producing nuclear energy is not only relatively expensive in regards to the environmental, social and economic costs, but also …show more content…

There are two categories that nuclear waste may fall under, low-level and high-level. As can be inferred by the names, low-level waste material is not very radioactive, and is equal in volume and radiation from radioactive trash produced in hospitals, colleges, and research laboratories. On the contrary, high-level waste material comes directly from nuclear reactors, making this the main issue. Many causes of cancerous diseases have been resulted due to exposure to nuclear waste. For example, in the United States, 1979, in Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, a nuclear power plant released enough radiation to cause five cancer deaths over the following thirty years (Lindsay, 2004). Overall, the production of nuclear energy is an issue because it poses as a tremendous environmental risk, risk to human health, national security and tax payers, but also is the ultimate link between nuclear energy and nuclear weapons (PSR, 2014). Furthermore, concerning …show more content…

By the same token, water discharges that contain heavy metals and salts, can impact the water quality and aquatic mammals. Considering waste materials produced from nuclear power plants also present as a big problem to the environment, people have insisted on the proper disposal methods to be taken. However, along with ethical ways comes time and money into place. In total, $41.2 billion is put in place for the nuclear waste fund (Nuclear Energy, 2015). In addition, about $300-$500 million is the estimated cost for decommissioning a plant, and about $300 million solely for restoring the site (Nuclear Energy, 2015). Moreover, while nuclear power plants are relatively cheap to operate, the construction of the plant itself is very expensive, in result of the need of special materials and integration of safety and backup systems. A part of the economics of nuclear energy and production, capital costs include the cost of site preparation, construction, manufacturing, commissioning and financing. Due to the EIAs (US Energy Information Administration) increase in rules and regulations, in the 2010

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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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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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Despite the negative publicity of incidents such as the reactor meltdown at Three Mile Island and the Chernobyl disaster, nuclear power remains a viable source of energy. Nuclear power produces large amounts of energy without damaging the environment with large amounts of carbon dioxide. In addition, nuclear power is more economical than traditional energy sources. Not only does it cost less to produce, it benefits the economy by creating new employment positions. Finally, nuclear energy results in fewer deaths each year than traditional fossil fuel sources.

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Still, a nuclear power plant does not pose the same amount of danger as a nuclear bomb, or even provide a substation amount of radiation pollution. The main danger from a nuclear plant comes in the unlikely event of a meltdown. In these cases, water heated by nuclear reactions can turn to steam, which can strain the enclosure. This steam can escape the enclosure, which can spread nuclear fallout throughout the atmosphere. Even more dangerous, a buildup of hydrogen and oxygen gases can lead to a violent explosion releasing more radiation into the atmosphere.

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Nuclear plants are too expensive to build. Mostly every nuclear plant is usually behind schedule and at least $1 billion over budget. This is before we take into account the cleanup and health costs, caused by waste, pollution, and meltdowns. In 1954, Lewis Strauss promised that nuclear power plants would one day provide energy “too cheap to meter”. Years later nuclear power plants still remain very expensive.

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Consequently, finding a pollution-free energy is of paramount importance for all countries to alleviate these serious impacts, and nuclear energy is the best choice for them. With the support of governments, more nuclear plants will be gradually constructed and the nuclear industry will keep on growing. In addition, nuclear energy generation is getting better and better with the advancement and eradication of problems. One perplexing issue is nuclear leakage, that is what most people are afraid of, such as the terrible Chernobyl disaster in 1985 and Fukushima accident in Japan recently, which bring on long-lasting aftermath. This has drawn increasing attention from people about the safeness of nuclear power.

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Nuclear Power is the cheapest energy of all the current major energy used-- such as coal, natural gas, and oil--as well as the clean alternative energies that we try to use in the place of the major fossil fuels. According to the Institute of Energy research’ “In 2011 nuclear energy averaged the cheapest cost at 2.1 cents per kilowatt hour of energy”(Electric) The energy that we compare this to is usually one of the biggest of producers coal. Coal is averaging over 3 cents per KWh of energy.(Electric) These energy costs include the building of the facility as well as the operation of

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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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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.

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Since the discovery of nuclear fission, debate has sparked regarding the optimal manner of harnessing this radioactive source. For a number of decades, nuclear power has played a preponderant role in providing carbon free energy for various countries. Today, nuclear power virtually yields over 11% of global electricity as a continuous, reliable base-load power source. Nevertheless, nuclear power also poses prominent and well- documented environmental risks, as Fukushima and Chernobyl painfully demonstrated and consequently questioning the ability of the nuclear industry to transition the international community from fossil fuels into a sustainable future with renewable energy. As inexpensive, accessible energy is the foundation of any successful

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One of the most talked about issues in the world today is climate change. Climate change poses as a huge problem because of its many impacts that endangers our world everyday, such as, lifting water levels, putting wildlife at risk, endangering human health, and many more. There are various campaigns that are trying to find solutions to permanently put this issue to rest. This essay aims to argue that at this point in time nuclear energy is the best solution to the problems caused by climate change. Firstly, this essay will demonstrate the issues that are triggered by climate change.

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