Pros and Cons of Nuclear Energy Essay

For years, many scientists, environmentalists, and energy experts have been studying how human’s creation and use of energy has impacted our environment. These experts have discovered some troubling facts. Most of our country’s energy is created from burning fossil fuels that pollute our atmosphere, contribute to global warming, and thus threaten the future of our planet. But there’s a safe and effective solution to this problem: nuclear power. Nuclear power should be used more in the United States to create clean power that doesn’t pollute our environment, in order to help combat climate change.

In spite of the downsides, nuclear power has many advantages. First of all, nuclear energy is more efficient than fossil fuels. It also does not rely on weather conditions like most renewable energy. Along with its efficiency, nuclear power plants have low operating costs. Finally, while nuclear power does produce radioactive waste, its greenhouse gas emissions are significantly lower than

At this point, it may seem like nuclear power is just a slightly more dangerous method of producing electricity than a more commonly used method like coal-burning. However, environmental impact and efficiency are the areas where nuclear power shines the brightest. Feiveson (2009), a self-titled skeptic of nuclear power, wrote, “Compared to coal-generated electricity in particular, it [nuclear power] is relatively clean, producing almost no emissions” (p. 60). Because turning water into steam is the main method of producing electricity with nuclear power, it is apparent why nuclear power plants do not release very many toxins into the environment. Harrison, Hester, & Walls (2011) stated that during the normal functioning of a nuclear power

Nuclear power has been around since the 1950s, and has had varying opinions throughout the years (iaea.org). At its conception, individuals viewed nuclear power as an unlimited source of energy. People thought it would revolutionize the world and produce large amounts of power at extremely low prices. However, opinions changed after catastrophic events like the reactor meltdowns at Chernobyl and Fukushima. Over the years, nuclear reactors have improved and made safer, and the power of the atom is slowly being tamed. There is still conflict between those who view nuclear power as the future and those who view it as a curse. Nuclear power is the future.

The disastrous meltdowns that cause whole cities to become uninhabitable, as well as leaving families homeless and laborers without jobs, have defined the negative perspective of what people see in nuclear power. However, even after such catastrophes, the pure raw energy output makes nuclear power essential for the future of the human race. As time passes, the world’s energy usage has grown an increasingly massive size every year due to the consumption swell of energy. Despite nuclear plants being a heavily controversial topic internationally, its advantages are very well recognized and it’s causing nuclear plants to slowly become the basis of our growing society.

While demand for energy continues to rise due the continuous need of energy in developing and developed countries and the fast decrease of natural non renewable sources of energy such as oil and gas, many countries face serious challenges regarding the security of their energy supply. As Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo said “the oil is the evil’s excrement” therefore we can legitimately wonder what is the nuclear energy. For

The world as we know today is dependent on energy. The options we have currently enable us to produce energy economically but at a cost to the environment. As fossil fuel source will be diminishing over time, other alternatives will be needed. An alternative that is presently utilized is nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is currently the most efficacious energy source. Every time the word ‘nuclear’ is mentioned, the first thought that people have is the devastating effects of nuclear energy. Granting it does come with its drawbacks; this form of energy emits far less pollution than conventional power plants. Even though certain disadvantages of nuclear energy are devastating, the advantages contain even greater rewards.

("Nuclear Power in the World Today"). The question remains whether or not nuclear power is a viable option for the future of the world’s energy requirements especially in light of the recent Fukushima facility disaster. Nuclear power offers many advantages compared to traditional means of energy productions, however its shortcomings are quite apparent and severe as well. This argument remains the reason why the industry hasn’t exactly prospered in the United States over the last 30 years.

Many people are worried about the potential for nuclear energy and the drastic effects it can have on our planet, if put in the wrong hands. No energy resource has ever been as groundbreaking as this. The potential for this energy is limitless. Through countermeasures set against countries that may have malicious intent for this power, some of which have already been put into place, we can use nuclear energy as it should be intended. The preservation of the environment and us as people.

Due in large part to its high energy output, nuclear power is a feasible and practical technology for meeting the world’s energy needs. For example, global energy demand has been continually increasing, with a 66% growth between 1980 and 2007; this demand is expected to increase by 40% by 2030 (World-Nuclear.org). As a testament to nuclear power’s utility as an energy source, it currently provides a large amount of global electricity: nuclear power met 20% of the global demand of electricity as of

People say that using nuclear energy for commercial use is a disadvantage because it is costly and dangerous. However, compared to the other sources of energy around the world, nuclear energy is not nearly as costly or dangerous as people make it seem. Nuclear energy is actually safe for

When I say nuclear energy, what comes to mind? An exciting new technology, with limitless possibilities? The future of clean energy? Or events like Hiroshima, Chernobyl, and Three Mile Island? Devastation and disasters, or a solution to climate change? I intend to cement the idea that nuclear energy is the best solution to many of humanities present and future problems. Nuclear energy, overall, saves lives, reduces carbon emissions, and could set into motion a new age of innovation. Conversely, there are many negative, and defendable, viewpoints when talking about nuclear energy. Accidents and disasters have been associated with nuclear energy, along with radioactive waste, and, possibly worst of all, weaponization of reactor technology. However, with a few simple explanations, I believe I can put nuclear energy in a good light once again.

The burning of fossil fuels has been the main source of energy in the world for too long. It’s the worst cause of pollution in the world, it damages the ozone layer, and it kills people. Good thing there is another type of energy source we can use, Nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is a much more reliable source of energy. But like everything on this Earth there’s a bad side to it. The thing though is that the cons of Nuclear energy aren’t even that bad. For a person to start feeling symptoms of radiation exposure they would have needed to have been exposed to 0.25Sv and for death to occur above 10Sv. For instance, a year of radiation exposure from Nuclear Power Plants is 0.001Sv and radiation exposure per dental X-ray is 0.0004Sv. It would take 625 x-rays to start feeling effects of radiation and 25,000 to kill you. No one in their lifetime will take any amount of x-rays close to 625 and it would take 250 years of living near a Nuclear Power Plant to feel effects of radiation. So it’s safe to say no one is getting hurt from nuclear energy. Nuclear energy can be found from almost everywhere and is not going anywhere anytime soon, small amounts can produce much more energy than fossil fuels, and it only emits little to no greenhouses gases. If you ask me the better choice is obvious, nuclear energy is the better option. Nuclear energy is the better option and is more important because it helps fight against climate change, it is competitive relative to other electricity

In the past decade, human civilization has progressively become more aware of the fact that the traditional methods of using fossil fuels to create energy are contaminating the environment. Because of this, people have become more aware of the issue and sought the most efficient and least harmful alternatives to provide energy for the world. As a result, many energy sources have been developed including wind, solar, and nuclear energy. Since many of these are relatively new processes, the long-term effects are just recently becoming more apparent, particularly with nuclear energy. Both Nuclear Power: a Panacea for Future Energy Needs by Allison MacFarlane and Five Myths About Nuclear Energy by Kristin Shrader-Frechette analyze the benefits and disadvantages of nuclear energy from the supporting and disapproving sides. Macfarlane took a slightly neutral approach and mentioned the overall gains and losses of nuclear energy while explaining why the gains outweigh the obstacles. Shrader takes a more directly opposing approach towards the matter. She skims over the benefits and focuses mainly on the negative effects. Both writers' methods for organizing their major points are different, but it allows them to better explain why they are either for or against nuclear energy.

The topic concerning whether nuclear energy is a positive or negative reinforcement is proven to be negative. The cost of production of the substance and toxins from the waste outweigh any known good impact. In the expenditure of power nationally, nuclear energy exponentially raises the price (Carrington, 2016). Energy resources are necessary in order for communities to thrive and expand; however nuclear energy is not the only vital resource. Various renewable energy sources can replace the need for nuclear energy for everyday basic needs, thus reducing the risk of nuclear power usage. Nuclear energy is an inevitable danger globally that should be eliminated immediately, an example of the threat it poses is the 30,000 mishaps at the US nuclear-power plants alone since 1979 (Schier & Zott, 2013). The complexity of the situation has increased by a tenth-fold, thus making the disposal of nuclear energy near impossible. However, it is plausible to believe the execution of the plan can still be carried out to get rid of the toxic substance.