To what extent should there be limitation on the mining of uranium in Australia ?
Uranium has become a big issue as an alternative energy resource in the future due to the shortage of fossil fuel as a primary energy resource in the world. Australia is one of country that has the largest uranium deposits in the globe. So, Australia has important opportunity to make a lot of money from uranium exports to other countries. However, the Australian Government is still debating this issue because of the negative impact of uranium mining and exploration. For these reason, some people believe that uranium mining has more positive impacts on the economy such as, income benefits from uranium exports and an increase a new job opportunities. However, this essay will argue that there needs to be a complete ban on uranium mining in Australia because it is produce radioactive waste, inefficient and ineffective nuclear power technology, and the use of uranium for nuclear weapons. Uranium could be used as material for nuclear weapons production which can cause massive destruction. Moreover, nuclear power is not an efficient and effective energy resource because it is very expensive, it takes a long time to build a nuclear power station and there are waste storage problems. In addition, the mining of uranium will spread the radiation that has harmful effects on human beings.
The first argument against the limitations on uranium mining in Australia is the economic benefit from this industry. According to the International Journal of Environmental studies (2006), the first commercial mining of uranium in Australia was begun in 1950s for the American and British nuclear weapons programs. Then, in the 1970s uranium deposits were discovered in South A...
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...gry nations like, China, Korea, and India. However, the Australian Government’s policy of not exporting uranium to countries who have not signed the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, which means the Australian Government will not sell uranium to any country who may use it for nuclear weapons programs. Therefore, as long as uranium is using for alternative new energy resources it will not be a problem to export it.
In short, there are some arguments to support uranium mining because it has positive impacts on the economy such as, financial benefits from uranium exports and it creates new job opportunities. However, the mining of uranium has some negative aspects such as; produce radioactive waste, inefficient and effective power technology, and the use of uranium for nuclear weapons production. Therefore, there should be restrictions on uranium mining in Australia.
On top of it being cleaner it is cheaper the mining of uranium is cheaper than the mining of coal
With the expansion of the Olympic Dam Mine BHP Billiton is trialling a new environmentally conscious method called heap leaching. Heap leaching is a process of extracting minerals and metals by placing them on a pad and the use of chemical reactions to dissolve the minerals. This method is considered more environmentally conscious than traditional techniques as it requires less energy consumption making heap leaching an environmental alternative (Wikipedia). Heap leaching also is 60-70% cheaper than alternative methods. BHP Billiton also proves they are environmentally conscious as the Olympic Dam Mine has storage facilities for its waste products, has an air pollution control unit and a monitoring system for air emission and noise. The Olympic Dam Mine employees also undergo frequent monitoring for radiation exposure and personal health showing that BHP Billiton is being accountable for the dangers employees are surrounded by working in the mine. Thus, BHP Billiton is accountable toward the environment and its
First, the stance on nuclear power and uranium mining has been at the centre of fierce controversy. Tim Flannery stated (Boyd 2006):
China, as the world’s largest importer of Australian iron ore, is considered one of the greatest influences on the success of the industry. If China were to reduce its purchases of Australian iron ore and rely more on its own sources and that of countries such as Brazil, India or Russia, Australia’s growth in the global economy would lessen and the Australian economy would be disrupted as a result of unexpected sales issues. “Growth in the Chinese economy and its demand for mineral resources, particularly base metals, iron ore and coal continue to play an important role in the outlook for exploration in Australia.
As I am sure you know mining has a extremely negative impact to the land but many good things come out of it. The mines in Broken hill have generated more than 100 billion dollars and a large amount of this has been given to the Broken Hill community. Broken hill has not only given Australia multiple resources but has also given so many Australians great jobs and memories that will impact their life forever.
In today’s day and age many people around the world have become dependent on what seems like useless or needless things such as the internet and television. This is one of the negative effects of science and the technology that comes with it. Some of these technologies seem harmless, like cellphones and computers, but it seems as the years progress people want more and more power, literally and figuratively. The element uranium is a perfect example; this element has the power to do well in generating power for millions of people, and the power to do wrong in nuclear warfare.
I am writing to you to persuade you to cancel Fat Cat mining’s new uranium mine plan. The reason of this is because the uranium mine would take place in Kakadu National Park, a world heritage site. If you don’t know, a World Heritage Site is by definition “a natural or man-made site, area, or structure recognized as being of outstanding international importance and therefore as deserving special protection”. Kakadu was listed as a World Heritage site due to its cultural and natural aspects. The park features a beautiful landscape filled with dozens of species both flora and fauna. We should stop Fat Cat mining’s uranium mine for the following reasons; The amount of landscape as well as flora and fauna that would be destroyed would be horrible, these ecosystems would be demolished, as well as the fact that mining for uranium could cause several potential dangers to the area, such as radiation poisoning, and finally if Kakadu national park were to be mined we would loose a bug place of cultural significance, and the result of mining would also produce a major eyesore. “Approximately 50 per cent of the land in the park is Aboriginal land under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, and most of the remaining area of land is under claim by
The Importance of Mining Industry The importance of mining is definitely significant to Canada. Mining, is an important industry, and Canadians are very advanced in their mining technology, but during the mining process, there is certain level of pollution produced. The Canadian government and the mining companies have very good plans and controls toward this problem, while ensuring the smooth running of the industries, and also helping to create strong economy and employment. The world of today could not exist without mineral products. Canada produces about 60 minerals and ranks first among producing countries1. As well, Canada is the largest exporter of minerals, with more than 20 per cent of production shipped to world markets2.
The Navajo Nations geology makes it one of the riches deposit sites for uranium and other nonrenewable resources. Uranium is a naturally occurring element in trace amounts in the earth’s crust and has been used for many different purposes. In the last century the uranium ore was used extensively by the federal government for atomic energy defenses. Uranium mine operators removed nearly four million tons of ore from 1944 to 1986 resulting in 520 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation (Maldonado 2005). Many Navajo uranium miners report that they were never told the hazards of mining uranium, and were not given any protective equipment or proper ventilations in mines. In most cases miners used pick axes and shovels to remove uranium ore. At one point there were approximately over 1000 mines on the reservation. In the early days of mining on the reservation Navajo miners were paid minimum wage or less. Many miners in 1940s were paid less than a dollar there jobs included blasters, building wooden supports in the mines, diggers, transporters, and millers. Exposing these workers to unsafe and unsanitary conditions, many times they had their entire families with them in the mining camps. By the late 1930’s there was a strong correlations between uranium mining and high rates of lung cancer among uranium miners. Uranium tailing piles are a legacy of an “out of sight out of mind” mentality of the last century. Many of these tailing sites were left exposed to precipitation and wind carrying uranium far from the original sites.
supplied by the uranium in sea water for 7 million years(Energy 25). This is a
According to statistics, there are several benefits and disadvantages of mining related to the economic sector. Some of the main benefits of mining are that it leads the economy to expansion and decreases poverty. It also helps in improving and increasing employment by proving more jobs. Moreover, the economic demand for goods and services makes the economy of local communities thrive. However, when it comes to justice, there are many things in which the industry sector falls behind. For example, “Mor...
From the 1850’s – 1900’s gold, silver, lead and zinc were discovered in South and West Australia. In the early 20th century mining started to decline because the only major finds were lead, zinc and copper but their full potential was later realized. Today Australia is one of the leading nations in the mining industry as they have a lot of resources to mine.
Uranium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a German chemist, in the mineral pitchblende (primarily a mix of uranium oxides) in 1789.Klaproth, as well as the rest of the scientific community, believed that the substance he extracted from pitchblende was pure uranium, it was actually uranium dioxide (UO2). After noticing that 'pure' uranium reacted oddly with uranium tetrachloride (UCl4), Radioactivity was first discovered in 1896 when Antoine Henri Becquerel, a French physicist, detected it from a sample of uranium. Today, uranium is obtained from uranium ores such as pitchblende, uraninite , carnotite and autunite as well as from phosphate rock , lignite (brown coal) and monazite sand . Since there is little demand for uranium metal, uranium is usually sold in the form of sodium diuranate , also known as yellow cake, or triuranium octoxide).
The use of nuclear energy has increased in the United States since 1973. Nuclear energy's share of U.S. electricity generation has grown from 4 percent in 1973 to 19 percent in 1998. This is excellent news for the environment. Nuclear energy and hydropower are the cleanest large-scale means of electricity production. Since nuclear power plants do not burn fuel, they emit no combustion byproducts—like carbon dioxide—into the atmosphere (www.nei.org). Nuclear power can come from the fission of Uranium, plutonium or thorium or the fusion of hydrogen into helium. Today uranium (U-235 and U-238) is most commonly used in the production of nuclear energy. The expa...