The Environmental Benefits of Utilizing Nuclear Energy Rather Than Fossil Fuel Energy

The world’s largest source of emission-free energy is nuclear energy. Energy sources like solar power, wind power, and hydro electric power are also good ways to produce clean energy; however, when it comes down to it they can’t produce the capacity of energy the world needs. The two largest problems with fossil fuels are that they are running out and produce greenhouse gases when burned. Greenhouse gases are gases that absorb and emit radiation inside the atmosphere. The main greenhouse gases in earth’s atmosphere are carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane, and ozone. Ultimately greenhouse gases are a good thing because they keep the earth warm enough to have a wide variety of climates; however, when our energy sources put excess amounts of these gases into the atmosphere we speed up the process of global warming. By switching to nuclear energy we can keep our air clean, which will preserve the earth’s climate.

Nuclear or atomic energy, was originally discovered by French scientist Henri Becquerel in 1896. The two major uses of nuclear energy are as a power source and for weapons of mass destruction. The basis of nuclear energy is the splitting of an atom (the smallest particle of matter), which releases massive amounts of energy. A nuclear reactor is the device designed to start and control nuclear reactions to generate electricity. As of now, the most common type of reaction to generate energy is nuclear fission. Fission, which is the splitting of nuclei, creates more than 10 million times the energy that is created in the burning of fossil fuels. Fission reactions are able to generate electricity because they produce heat which boils water until it turns into steam. The pressurized steam then powers steam turb...

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As we speak the earth is warming and its climates are beginning to change. Polar ice caps are melting causing land to disappear by the day. The amount of greenhouse gases being pumped into the atmosphere by our traditional methods of generating energy is unsightly, and yet we do nothing even when we have the knowledge to end this. If we continue to poison the earth with fossil fuels a global climate change will be inevitable. The effects of that will be catastrophic for every living thing on earth. With zero carbon emissions and the ability to produce electricity on a mass scale, Nuclear Energy is the clean and effective way to continue modern life. Global warming is not a threat of the future, it is happening now. As the main cause of this, humanity must recognize its mistakes, and work to correct them. If we do nothing we will get what we deserve.