A Stride Into the Future

The great physicist Albert Einstein once said, “A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move to higher levels.” He understood the importance of exploiting novelties to create something beneficial for mankind. No one demonstrates this way of thinking better than Einstein because he had the boldness to explore fields of science that few have ever approached in order to make the world a better place. Today, human society faces the detrimental consequence of global warming due to pollution from fossil fuel combustion; the world once again needs to discover never-before-seen alternatives. These alternatives may be risky in certain ways, but for mankind to prosper and continue to survive, these risks are necessary. One alternative to fossil fuel is nuclear energy, a recent innovation that is still fairly uncommon in producing power. Clearly, nuclear energy should play a greater role in powering the world because it possesses environmental, viable, and political incentives.

Nuclear energy has significant environmental advantages over conventional energy sources. One prime example is the comparison of the effects of fossil fuel versus nuclear energy on global warming. When examining pollution, an important factor is a power plant’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Using nuclear power could significantly slow global warming because it produces much less CO2 than fossil fuel. For example, a 1,250 megawatt coal-fired power plant releases 11.8 million tons of CO2 per year; a nuclear power plant of similar magnitude releases merely 0.5 million tons (McLeish 37). This means nuclear energy produces less than 5% the emission as coal energy! However, people may doubt the impact of global warming. Signs of global warming inc...

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...e solution to end dependence on foreign oil and to maintain a stable source of energy.

Overall, the environmental, practical, and political benefits all make nuclear energy the ideal source to power the world. No matter what critics say or believe, the advantages of nuclear energy far outweigh any disadvantages. Despite the fact that people probably wish to immediately increase nuclear power plants, achieving the ultimate goal to combat pollution or foreign leverage will require time. Fortunately, by choosing nuclear energy, the American public will have taken a step toward the future to create more innovative features that will benefit everyone. As the world continues to advance, people will need to take risks that can lead to better lives. Whether the positive results are immediate or not, taking risks will definitely pave the way for improvement and success.