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The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

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Nuclear power comes from using enriched uranium fuel rods for reactions in the reactor core to generate electricity from steam-powered turbines (Endres, 2009). Unfortunately, this produces non-biodegradable waste which emit harmful radiation over their half-lives that can last thousands of years ("Dangers and Effects of Nuclear Waste Disposal",n.d.). Due to its hazardous nature, the only options to handle the waste is to either store it in casks at the plants in the short-term before relocating them to underground repositories for the long-term, or reprocess the waste to gain useful fuel back ("Nuclear Waste",n.d.). Unfortunately, reprocessing adds more waste than useful reclamation, so storage is the only option ("Nuclear Waste",n.d.). Building …show more content…

Although repositories can provide economic benefits and employment, the perceived likelihood of risks, like sabotage, are all still higher than proposed benefits (Hine, Summers, Prystupa & McKenzie-Richer, 1997). Hine et al., portray this complication in the battle between Atomic Energy of Canada Limited(AECL) and aboriginals involved with their projects (Hine et al.,1997). Although, AECL stressed that the security of the site and its economic benefits will improve the community, yet having a repository under their land made aboriginals skeptical of the ‘benefits’ and demonstrates their cultural beliefs about how their sacred land should be left untouched, putting them against the proposal (Hine et al.,1997). Despite the economic benefits and diligent risk prevention, the arguments against repositories can be tied back to NIMBYism, where people believe that economic benefits of a repository cannot compensate for the social and cultural costs it incurs to themselves (Hine et al.,1997). Communities being pressured into living above hazardous nuclear waste, is a result of a political economy where larger institutions tend to drive smaller actors like the aboriginals, into submission for the sake of greater economic benefits, while smaller actors take the brunt of the

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