The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

The demand for energy in the US is predicted to grow by 30% in the next 20 years (Ferguson 391). The world’s energy needs are increasing with its growth. The burning of fossil fuels to obtain energy is not viable for the long term future. Fossil fuels are a limited, non-renewable resource. Furthermore, they emit large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that contribute to the global climate change. Environmentalists are trying to find ways to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions caused power production. One of the proposed solutions is nuclear power. Nuclear power uses radioactive material, usually uranium, and causes the atoms to split artificially by nuclear fission. When they split, they release large amounts of heat which is used to superheat water into steam. The steam is used to spin a turbine that generates electric power. After the material has gone through fission, it emits high amounts of radiation. The radioactive waste must be protected for hundreds of years until it can decay to a safe level. However, only a small amount of material is needed to produce large amounts of energy. Nuclear power is capable of creating large amounts of power with a small amount of fuel. It is able to produce enough energy to meet the requirements of the growing electric world. It is economically possible and could help with global climate change. Nuclear power is the best source of alternate power for the world’s energy needs.

The need for the decrease of carbon emissions is a major problem. The amount of carbon dioxide produced by nuclear power is very low and one pound of uranium is equivalent to about 16,000 pounds of coal (Davis 63). If nuclear power becomes largely used, then the carbon emissions would decrease largely. Nucle...

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...e able to harvest most effectively are normally set very far away from cities and require an extensive transportation system (Ferguson 391). Wind and solar power are also very unreliable. They are only operable when the resource is available such as when the sun is shining or wind is blowing because they are hard to store.

Nuclear power could be the future for power production. It can make a large change in the current ecological situation. The carbon emissions it could possible cut down on are enormous. It is cost effective and can be provided easily to the public. It is a safe developed technological field that is only getting safer as advances in science increase. It can provide all energy for the current and growing industries. While nuclear power has a few disadvantages like any other power source, it is the best solution for the current needs of the world.