Nuclear energy is a technology that has the ability to either bring an end to life as we know it in the form of a bomb or to provide us with a clean reliable energy source for many years to come in the form of a reactor. Nuclear power by definition is the generation of heat and electricity through the process of fission. As our global community continues to deplete our fossil fuel resources the debate on nuclear power is rising. Due to dangerous carbon dioxide emissions the global community is looking to find an alternative clean energy source like nuclear. With the continued rise in the world’s population and the resulting increase in demand for energy to fuel the economic growth of developing countries, nuclear power must be considered as a viable and productive option for the world’s energy crisis. Nuclear power has the potential to be one of the key answers to both our provincial and global clean energy crisis, but it comes at a price and the question we must ask ourselves is the price too high?
The history of nuclear energy goes back to early 20th century work of nuclear physicists. From early research came nuclear fission which was discovered in WWII by German scientists. It was however at this time not considered as a source of energy to fuel the world but rather as a means of creating atomic weapons to be used in war for mass destruction. Post WWII scientists focused on the process of nuclear fission to create nuclear power for commercial use primarily with uranium. Nuclear fission is the process whereby the nucleus of an atom is split into two smaller nuclei. This process releases a large amount of energy that if properly harnessed could energize our world carbon free. In the world today there are 435 nuclear power plants located in 31 different countries. However, nuclear power is still only a supplement to traditional fossil fuel energy globally.
Nuclear energy discussions often evoke great debate. Many people believe that nuclear energy poses a huge threat to life on earth with the chance of a reactor melting down and releasing its radioactive waste. For example, the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986 proved to be a horrific example of what can happen if an accident occurs when dealing with volatile nuclear material. Nuclear power plants are also accused of thermal pollution as they take cold water from rivers or lakes and return warm water to them potentially disrupting these ecosystems. As well, nuclear plants are very capital intensive to build, take a very long time to complete and have a lifespan of only 30 years before the reactor must be decommissioned. Perhaps worst of all, the waste nuclear plants produce remain radioactive for thousands of years and must be stored in a carefully controlled environment. Should this waste ever leach out it could contaminate water supplies, crops and cause massive destruction to the environment. But there is a positive side to nuclear energy. Nuclear power plants use much less fuel than traditional coal burning power plants. For example 200 tons of uranium will produce the same amount of power as three million tons of coal. Because of the immense heat generated from the fission process, nuclear plants can create huge amounts of electricity as compared to other alternative energy sources. And the biggest benefit of nuclear power plants is in regards to reduced carbon emissions. Nuclear power plants do not release harmful pollutants like carbon dioxide into the air in comparison to fossil fuel burning power plants which release hundreds of tons of pollutants into the air each year. Some of which are known to cause cancer in addition to contributing to global warming.
Nuclear energy is a clean reliable source of energy that needs to be used more readily. We have relied far too long on our fossil fuel supply and the time is now to plan for our future by building more nuclear power plants. The controversy surrounding the safety of nuclear power has been heightened recently due to the Fukushima power plant disaster in Japan. Although there have been other accidents with nuclear plants in the past, the chance of a major incident happening is still considered to be very low. It has been estimated that the number of deaths caused by nuclear power plant accidents averages out at about only45 per year. When compared to coal burning plants which account for over 10,000 deaths per year as a result of the pollutants that they emit. The advantage of using nuclear power is that it is 100% man made and controlled. Whereas other clean energy sources like wind power for example are dependent on uncontrollable variables like the weather.Global warming is a serious concern and the continued heavy use of fossil fuels is not helping this problem.
Compared to other forms of clean energy such as wind, hydro, geothermal and solar, nuclear energy is currently our only clean option that can produce large amounts of electricity while being carbon free. With increased use of nuclear energy the world’s dependence on fossil fuels can dramatically reduce harmful emissions. Although nuclear energy has had its problems it would be a good start in our objective towards reducing our carbon footprint within Alberta. The construction of nuclear power plants would create a demand for labour therefore potentially boosting the economy. We need to start relying on nuclear power more and less on traditional coal burning power generation plants. It’s time to take a stand for a cleaner, greener future for not only Alberta, but for the entire world and give nuclear energy a chance. Global warming and illness related to fossil fuels are preventable. The price we are paying is too high to not consider nuclear energy.
By: Jacob Mcintyre
Sources:
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&source=&sortBy=&displayGroups=&action=e&catId=GALE%7C00000000LVY0&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CPC3021900118
http://find.galegroup.com/gic/docRetrieve.do?searchPageType=BasicSearchForm&inPS=true&prodId=GIC&userGroupName=albertak12&docId=CP3208520079
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission
http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3691
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_consumption
http://www.digplanet.com/wiki/Nuclear_power
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