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The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

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Leslie Dewan once said, “Nuclear power is a young technology - there's so much more to be discovered. That's what makes it so exciting to me. Yes, there are problems, but innovative people are going to be able to come up with solutions and bring the technology to its full potential.” I stand in firm negation of the resolution. Resolved: The US ought to end its provision of arms to foreign insurgents. My value for today’s debate is societal good and my value criterion is deontology. I define societal good as a good or service that benefits the largest number of people in the largest possible way (investopedia.com) and utilitarianism as the belief that a morally good action is one that helps the greatest number of people (merriam-webster.com) …show more content…

The use of nuclear power can cut down on pollution. “The strong likelihood that the plutonium would be required in the relatively near future would render continuous reprocessing of irradiated fuel, using the existing capacity, the most economical way of providing this resource for future generations. At the same time, it would simplify the management of high level waste, as the half-lives of nearly all the other isotopes present in the waste would be much less than that of plutonium. Storage of the accumulated plutonium in a single, high security facility should, in UK conditions, avoid the possibility of any of the material being acquired by terrorists; the non-plutonium bearing high level waste would be an unattractive target for terrorists.” Not only does this solve for the issue of clean energy, it also can solve for the issue of dirty bombs. It also is safer than tradition means of energy. “One major feature they have in common (beyond safety engineering already standard in Western reactors) is passive safety systems, requiring no operator intervention in the event of a major malfunction.... Many occupational accident statistics have been generated over the last 40 years of nuclear reactor operations in the US and UK. These can be compared with those from coal-fired power generation. All show that nuclear is a distinctly safer way to produce electricity.” (World Nuclear Association

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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 “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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Nuclear energy only creates minimal negative effects to the environment. Nuclear energy produces steam and low levels of carbon dioxide. Nuclear energy is also beneficial seeing that it produces a large amount of energy for a low cost. Nuclear reactors generate energy at a lower cost than oil, gas or coal. This nuclear energy will be a stable source of energy seeing that it is a base load source and it is synergistic with other renewable resources.

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The novel Unmasking the Face by Paul Ekman and Wallace V. Friesen was very interesting. It provided information on how to read six different emotions on the face. The book served as a guide to help understand emotions that people portray on their face. The guide focused on six main emotions: surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness, and sadness. In addition to all of emotions it explained the different types of signals that can appear on the face.

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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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However, there are few opposition opinions. “Rebuttal”: a) Environmental Impact - The process of mining and refining uranium hasn’t been a clean process. b) Nuclear Accidents - The Chernobyl accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine was the worst nuclear accident in the history. c) High Cost - At present, the nuclear business let waste cool for a considerable length of time before blending it with glass and putting away it in enormous cooled, solid structures.

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Over 20 percent of the energy in the United States comes from nuclear energy power plants. (Rinkesh, 2018) They so their best to get as much energy to the country as possible, but there are those out there who don’t agree with them. While there are downsides to nuclear energy, the pros vastly outweigh the cons. Nuclear power plants are a great way to get energy because they don’t let out much pollution, are very efficient, and are very safe.

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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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They are having second thoughts. In addition, the costly price of nuclear power plants and nuclear inflexibilty, meaning it has slow start up and shutdown hours. Finally, as I mentioned before, nuclear waste, a very hazardous

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Another man named James H. Rust who published a book called “Nuclear Power Safety” also agrees with Tucker that nuclear power should be on the fore front of science in todays society and not over looked because of all the safety concerns. Rust gives an honest opinion on what he wants the readers to get from the book and that is, “Given the fact that a reactor is not a bomb, and I hope the other chapters in this book will have at least convinced the readers of that one fact, there is still the possibility of escape of radioactive materials, both during normal operation and in case of accidents” (Rust, 36). Even a man who believes in nuclear power can not promise the public a completely safe nuclear plant that does not effect the people surrounding

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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 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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After so many catastrophes with nuclear energy happened and caused so much damage that maybe it’s time to stop that madness. How can we be sure that the storages containing nuclear waste will be able to hold for that long, and how badly it’s going to affect our planet if there are some serious leaks? “The danger of terrorists stealing plutonium to make a bomb or to use as a poison t be spread in the atmosphere over a city or in its drinking water is real”

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"World Nuclear Association. "Outline History of Nuclear Energy. Ed. World Nuclear Association. World Nuclear Association, n.d. Web.

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One cannot deny that some nuclear waste is produced and that it is radioactive. However, according to the World Nuclear Association in many countries, nuclear waste accounts for just 1% of all toxic wastes. This means that only a small amount of waste is produced and it would be easy to contain. Furthermore, the BBC states that you are able to reprocess nuclear waste and reuse up to 97% of it. This means that waste can be reduced even further and that that supplies of Uranium can be sustained for longer.

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