The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

On the other end of the spectrum, nuclear power has come leaps and bounds and may even overtake coal in our future as the central energy source in our world. Nuclear power became one of the few resources for energy besides fossil fuels when the US government made the decision in the 1950’s to back nuclear power instead of solar energy (Gonzalez, 2012). Nuclear power in the US was established by economic elites such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the Panel on the Impact of Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy (Gonzalez, 2012). As a result, nuclear power appeared to be the only viable alternative to fossil fuels leading to its forthcoming (Gonzalez, 2012). In order to produce nuclear power, a certain directional process must be followed. To start

First of all, nuclear power releases far fewer carbon dioxide emissions, resulting in a significantly less effect on nature since it does not discharge any gasses such as methane and carbon (Buzz, 2009). With this comes significantly less pollution as well for our world and leaves no unfavorable impact on land or water (“Nuclear Energy Pros,” 2015). Another advantage nuclear power has is its low operating costs in terms of producing very inexpensive electricity (“Nuclear Energy Pros,” 2015). The normal life of a nuclear reactor ranges anywhere from 40-60 years (“Nuclear Energy Pros,” 2015). Additionally, nuclear power is extremely reliable as it can run without disruption in any condition (“Nuclear Energy Pros,” 2015). It is believed, though that the supply of nuclear energy is going to last much longer than fossil fuels (“Nuclear Energy Pros,” 2015). Likewise, it is more proficient than fossil fuels meaning, it has a higher energy density, requires less fuel than others and isn’t influenced by the rising oil and gas costs (“Nuclear Energy Pros,” 2015). Furthermore, the capacity of nuclear power is able to meet the needs of not only industrial facets, but cities as well (Buzz, 2009). Lastly, unlike other sources of energy, nuclear waste can be reduced through waste recycling and reprocessing (Buzz, 2009). Through all these means, nuclear power has risen to the challenge of becoming

If there is one thing that I have learned in this course it is that our contribution to our environment plays an extremely crucial role in global warming and what our environment will be like in the future for not only the current generation, but for generations to come. To go off my point of picking nuclear power versus coal power, nuclear power has significantly less of an impact on our country than coal. Nuclear power does not contribute carbon dioxide emissions as readily as coal does leaving it far safer for our environment. Another reason that I chose nuclear power over coal power is the idea that nuclear power is extremely reliable and will last longer than fossil fuels. Of course, coal has a significant amount of reserves on hand today, but eventually the world will run out coal and we will be left to find other sources to make our energy from. Similarly, nuclear power does not rely on the prices of other resources, making it an energy source that can be seen as reliable. In my own opinion though, nuclear power is best source for not only our environment, but our own