Nuclear power: benefits, challenges, and future applications

Nuclear Power

The Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power

There are positives and negatives with any energy source that humankind chooses to utilize. Coal, for example, emits pollutants that contribute to climate change, whereas hydropower can disrupt river flows and place man-made obstacles in the way of river life.

However, nuclear energy, claimed by some to be the most dangerous energy source, can cause irreversible damage, if not properly handled. In fact, nuclear power is the only energy source that has the capability of killing so indiscriminately, and so powerfully, that a whole area of the world could be uninhabitable for centuries. This paper will aim to address some of the pros and cons of nuclear energy, and how it can be utilized for the benefit, not harm, of humankind.

In order to begin to build slowly and see how nuclear power might be beneficial, one must begin by analyzing its dangers. These were well-shown in two disasters that happened in our lifetime: Chernobyl and Fukushima. The Chernobyl disaster occurred in the mid-1980's in the Ukraine, when a nuclear reactor exploded and spread radioactive materials throughout the Western part of the country and into continental Eastern Europe. Chernobyl has been so devastating that there are still no people living in the area, which is truly a completely desolate ghost town. In a town nearby, Pripyat, which has been analyzed by experts, it is predicted that due to contaminants from the Chernobyl disaster, the town will continue to be uninhabitable for centuries to come.

Thus, one of the important cons is that nuclear reactors can suffer meltdowns, and they will cause severe damage not only to humans, but also to the physical environment which may surround them. Another similar incident to the one described above, and more recent, is the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Much like Chernobyl, at Fukushima reactors melted down, leading to widespread radiation danger. Unlike Chernobyl, however, the Fukushima catastrophe was more complex, as it was provoked by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and further damaged by a tsunami that followed it and that broke through many of the protections which Fukushima engineers had put in place.

Another important argument against nuclear energy is that it leaves behind radioactive waste, as evidenced above as well. Furthermore, if this waste is not properly disposed of, it can cause irrevocable damage. According to the Discovery Curiosity project, "Nuclear waste must be sealed underground in protected chambers. [A] former salt mine in Remlingen, Germany, held nuclear waste for decades before structural concerns forced the government to relocate the deadly substances." According to the article, the job can be deadly and very costly.

There are many pros to this issue as well, and some are just as important as the cons. The first argument for nuclear energy includes the fact that, as aforementioned, coal and other fossil fuel emissions can bring down air quality to very low levels, and continue to pollute our planet and contribute to climate change. Another pro argument the fact these materials, besides being harmful to the environment, are also limited. Furthermore, to combat some of the criticism offered above, it must be noted that "reliable nuclear technology is already developed. No new innovations are needed to create nuclear reactors that are relatively safe and efficient."