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Social Impacts of nuclear power : Nuclear energy is contemplated as a sustainable energy source that reduces greenhouse gas emission and produces very less waste when compared to conventional energy like fossil fuels. Yet, nuclear wastes are highly radioactive, posing numerous dangers to public health and the environment. This is the reason public safety is a major concern when it comes to nuclear energy production and utilization. Nuclear accidents are catastrophic on a global scale, which has caused public fear of nuclear power. In this section we will analyze whether nuclear energy really a green option, the impacts of nuclear energy plants on society at local as well as global scale and what ethics principles that ought to be considered when settling on the choices on nuclear energy. According to the advocates of nuclear energy, a typical nuclear power plant employs about 400 to 700 people depending on its size. The wages paid to nuclear power plant workers average 36% higher than for other local jobs. As per Nuclear Energy Institute’s study, a nuclear plant alongside new jobs also creates jobs in the neighborhood, from grocery merchants to builders who build properties. When members of the society are engaged in productive jobs it helps them to grow their self esteem. Employment brings money and recognition to individuals and the society gets better and more good and services. The new jobs also increases the living standards for individuals. The financial security and higher living standards are a key to good physical and mental health of the individuals. The new job creation can also help reduce other social impacts due to unemployment like drug abuse, family disruption and poor prenatal care. In addition to this, the norm... ... middle of paper ... ...such weapons, and the trepidation this has incited amongst the whole post-Hiroshima era, is itself immoral, as much as nuclear war itself. If not everyday but the mushroom cloud stays on our minds all the time. If we take into account the attack on France last week, there were less number of people harmed when compared to entire human race but the even such a limited use of weapons would not be justifiable or feasible. We do not have any right to compose ourselves such that we might give certain group of people the choice of ending all life on the planet in order to save a human creation, the nation. It is high time that we take strong steps to change the ethical ambiguity of the 21th century to shape world peace by moving towards alternative energy resources for human consumption than spending our energy to improve nuclear technology even its for human advantages.
Nuclear power has grown to be a big percentage of the world’s energy. As of January 18, 2013 in 31 countries 437 nuclear power plant units with an installed electric net capacity of about 372 GW are in operation and 68 plants with an installed capacity of 65 GW are in 15 countries under construction. As of end 2011 the total electricity production since 1951 amounts to 69,760 billion kWh. The cumulative operating experience amounted to 15, 15,080 years by end of 2012. (European Nuclear Society) The change that nuclear power has brought to the world has led to benefits in today’s energy’s usage.
The Atomic Bomb Should Not Have Been DroppedAs President Obama signs new nuclear policy, we are reminded of the longand sordid history of nuclear policy in the United States. We have come a long waysince we decided to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.It is amazing that we continue debating this initial deployment of nuclear weaponrytoday. The US should not have decided to drop these atomic bombs. This decisionwas morally incorrect and unnecessary. Thousands of people died who did not needto die, and many more became sick from radiation poisoning. The bombs wiped twoentire cities off the map. How can anyone even argue for this in the first place?One argument that was used to support dropping the bomb was that theJapanese forfeited their rights when they aggressively attacked Pearl Harbor andcommitted war crimes against prisoners and the Chinese. However, this argument does not work for a few reasons. First, there are two types of justice in war. There isthe justice for going to war (
We are told, "To love thy neighbour" and "To treat." our enemies, as we would want to be treated. " If you were to look at these commandments you would see that nuclear warfare could never be justified, and if you do provoke a nuclear war, you should be punished. That brings me into the second reason why countries retain nuclear weapons and that is a threat. It is a way of protecting your country, but you will protect yourself and retaliate if provoked.
When it comes to nuclear war, most people will have mixed feelings on it. Nuclear war is a difficult area to touch on. Whether or not someone sees it as ethically right or wrong, all depends on the person and their moral values. The reason I chose this was because I don’t think it is necessarily right to engage in nuclear warfare even if it is the only means to end war. Just-war theory, utilitarianism, and Virtue ethics all help show a different perspective on nuclear warfare. There are many solutions to it, however. Some solutions are getting other nations to place embargos on the country and forcing peace talks without resorting to military action. Significantly, it is important that nuclear war is addressed in the world so that nations
In today’s society many countries and even citizens of the United States question the U.S. government’s decision to get in involved in nuclear warfare. These people deemed it unnecessary and state that the U.S. is a hypocrite that preaches peace, but causes destruction and death. Before and during World War II the U.S. was presented with a difficult decision on whether or not to develop and use the atomic bomb.
Also today is the danger that life is extinguished on earth through such a horrible weapon , not over. Many states are in possession of nuclear bombs , because that means for them power. Even dictatorships and unjust regime like China and North Korea have nuclear weapons.
Many believe that nuclear power plants are a hazard to the people that live around them and the environment in which they are built. However, these assumptions are based mostly on the fact that the nuclear reactors and nuclear power plants of today are built to the same standards that the old nuclear plants from many years ago. Nuclear power today is designed to be much safer than outdated nuclear power plants and have a very minimal chance of causing a nuclear catastrophe. Nuclear power plants are a safe and viable option for generating electricity for the foreseeable future.
Nuclear power was always thought to be far too great to ever be used for harm. Many United States officials came to this belief as well, but only once it was too late. At the end of World War II, it was known that Japan was looking for the easiest way to surrender with the least possible consequences toward. It was known that the dropping of the atomic bomb would kill and injure thousands of innocent lives, and destroy everything in its path. Lastly, it was known that the dropping of the atomic bomb would forever change weaponry because a new type of weapon was born. The United States was not justified in dropping the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki because Japan was on the verge of surrender; it caused harm to thousands of innocent lives, and changed weaponry forever.
Media coverage of such cases have made the public less comfortable with the idea of moving further towards nuclear power and they only opt for reducing human activities to reduce global warming. It is true that there have been some notable disasters involving nuclear power, but compared to other power systems, nuclear power has an impressive track record. First, it is less harmful and second, it will be able to cater for the growing world population. Nuclear power produces clean energy and it delivers it at a cost that is competitive in the energy market (Patterson). According to the US Energy Information Administration, there are currently 65 such plants in the Unite States (National Research Council). They produce 19 percent of the total US energy generation.
Nuclear power has always been a controversial issue because of its inherent danger and the amount of waste that the plants produce. Once considered a relatively safe form for generating energy, nuclear power has caused more problems than it has solved. While it has reduced the amount of traditional natural resources (fossil fuels), used to generate power like coal, wood, and oil, nuclear generating plants have become anachronisms. Maintaining them and keeping them safe has become a problem of immense proportion. As the plants age and other technology becomes available, what to do with these “eyesores” is a consuming issue for many government agencies and environmental groups. No one knows what to do about the problem and in many areas of the world, another nuclear meltdown is an accident waiting to happen. Despite a vast array of safety measures, a break in reactor pipe or a leak in a containment vessel, could spell another environmental disaster for the world.
In 1945, when the Americans bombed Hiroshima, Japan, approximately 140,000 men and women were instantly killed by the effects of American nuclear defense. With such extreme brutality and force how many people must die for one to finally realize the strengths of nuclear bombs and what damage they can cause. Nuclear weapons should be outlawed because they kill thousands of innocent humans at a time, destroy the environment, and inviolate human’s right to moral and personal freedoms.
The energy industry is beginning to change. In today’s modern world, governments across the globe are shifting their focuses from traditional sources of power, like the burning coal and oil, to the more complex and scientific nuclear power supply. This relatively new system uses powerful fuel sources and produces little to no emissions while outputting enough energy to fulfill the world’s power needs (Community Science, n.d.). But while nuclear power seems to be a perfect energy source, no power production system is without faults, and nuclear reactors are no exception, with their flaws manifesting in the form of safety. Nuclear reactors employ complex systems involving pressure and heat. If any of these systems dysfunctions, the reactor can leak or even explode releasing tons of highly radioactive elements into the environment. Anyone who works at or near a nuclear reactor is constantly in danger of being exposed to a nuclear incident similar to the ones that occurred at the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi plants. These major accidents along with the unresolved problems with the design and function of nuclear reactors, as well as the economic and health issues that nuclear reactors present serve to show that nuclear energy sources are not worth the service that they provide and are too dangerous to routinely use.
Nuclear power, the use of exothermic nuclear processes to produce an enormous amount of electricity and heat for domestic, medical, military and industrial purposes i.e. “By the end of 2012 2346.3 kilowatt hours (KWh) of electricity was generated by nuclear reactors around the world” (International atomic energy agency Vienna, 2013, p.13). However, with that been said it is evident that the process of generating electricity from a nuclear reactor has numerous health and environmental safety issues.
In March 2011, Fukushima, Japan, the nation was hit by a 8.9 magnitude earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami. Many lives were lost that day and buildings collapsed everywhere. It was a painful sight to see, and to the Japanese people, it was a sad and worrisome time. The Japanese people was not afraid of the earthquake and tsunami since they learn from young to cope those disasters since it was a normal event for a land which situated on the ‘Ring of Fire’, a large active volcanic and tectonic zone ringing North and South America, Asia and island arcs in Southeast Asia (“Ring of Fire”). It was the news from the government that worried them. The news of the Fukushima Daiichi Plant was hit by the earthquake and the tsunami has caused the waste to spread all over the sea. For some Japanese people, it was history all over again. After that incident, the people of the Japan has spoken out to the government to shut down every nuclear reactor in the country and the government accepted the people’s voices with all 48 reactors going off line (Gatehouse). However, that incident has another effect that may take its toll towards the science of nuclear. Should we still use nuclear power plant to generate energy for our world? There are many viewpoints on this topic, however, with the evidence that I have gathered and the reaction of other countries, Nuclear power plant brings more harm than benefits to the human population.
The greatest disadvantages of nuclear energy are the risks posed to mankind and the environment by radioactive materials. ‘On average a nuclear plant annually generates 20 metric tons of used nuclear fuel cla...