Nuclear Power

Nuclear power may not be the newest form of energy to be developed but it is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s societies. Personally, I do not think it will be the solution to our energy crisis, but it will play a large role in the coming years. I have created a list of pros and cons for nuclear power. The positive aspects of nuclear power are about equal to the number of negative aspects of nuclear power. Nuclear power is not the solution to humanities’ nuclear crisis because it proposes too many devastating risks and it is not a renewable energy source. Since Uranium is not renewable, there is not an unlimited amount of nuclear power available. Nuclear power could be considered a transition source of fuel. The world is going to need to find alternative sources of energy that are renewable and will have almost zero environmental impact. Nuclear power doesn’t fit into this criteria but it will help the world during this time of transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.


Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power:

Pros:
• The generation of nuclear power emits relatively low amounts of Carbon Dioxide.
• The technology for nuclear power is already available so it does not need to be developed.
• Each power plant can generate a high amount of electricity.
• The amount of pollution that is emitted from nuclear power plants is considerably less than the amount of pollution emitted by plants running on fossil fuels.
• Nuclear power plants need little fuel and Uranium is evenly deposited around the planet.
Cons:
• The waste produced from nuclear power plants is extremely dangerous and has to be carefully looked after for thousands of years.
• The possibility of an accident increases with the increasing number of nuclear power plants. A nuclear accident would be devastating.
• There is the possibility that nuclear power plants and the waste of nuclear power plants would be a target for terrorists.
• The amount of Uranium is limited. It is estimated that there is only enough to supply power plants for the next 30 to 60 years.
• The radiation from nuclear power plants is a threat to the health of many.