Image from Vanessa Bates Ramirez's article on singularity hub
The Benefits of Nuclear Energy
In the past 75 years, there have been some great discoveries in the field of energy. One such discovery came to being in 1942 when physicist Enrico Fermi achieved the first chain reaction of nuclear atoms. This discovery was nuclear energy. Nuclear energy has become prominent in every country but really has yet to take off. Currently, the United States, along with many other countries are hesitant to make the switch, and instead run off of fossil fuels. However, nuclear energy has shown to be more dependable, sustainable, and efficient than fossil fuels. With this being said, why have many major countries not converted to using nuclear energy?
People who do not believe that nuclear energy should be used, have some good points. One such point is that nuclear energy contains nuclear waste. This waste makes using nuclear energy non-renewable (Parker). This then leads to the question of where does the waste go afterward it has been used? Well, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that the waste is sent away to be kept in its own storage facility. However, the waste is not a large problem because it is still more efficient per amount of uranium in grams than that of the fossil fuels per gram. Around 8,000 times more power per gram (Parker). One could argue that the nuclear waste takes longer to either recycle or get rid of and they would be correct. However, with the ratio of efficiency for uranium versus fossil fuels, it is clear that it would take a very long time for the nuclear waste to catch up to fossil fuel waste.
Nuclear energy will help the United States and will become a more sustainable, more efficient, and lower cost for the Nation and will be a better move than just staying with fossil fuels. With the switch to nuclear energy, the United States will avoid harmful pollution, unnecessary costs, and will save lives.
By switching to nuclear energy, we avoid the harmful air pollution released by burning fossil fuels. This creates a safer environment for humans on earth as well as the different animals and ecosystems. The pollution caused by burning fossil fuels creates acid rain which is just a scarier word for polluted rain. This acid rain is what makes rainwater and runoff unsafe and unsanitary for us to both drink or By avoiding the pollution of fossil fuels and switching to nuclear energy, it is predicted that we will save the lives of up to 7 million people who die from pollutants in the air caused by burning fossil fuels (Kharecha). Pollution is a big issue today with concerns of global warming and what effect burning of fossil fuels has on our global climate. The smog created by fossil fuels has made it almost impossible to see in some countries from clouds of pollution. But the fumes from the smog is the real issue for the health of those living in the areas most affected by this pollution.
On the other hand, some sides say that the nuclear waste and the cost of the initial switch make the transition to Nuclear energy a bad choice for the country and the environment as a whole. The end cost of a switch depends on the location of the new plant. Actually, it costs 27 percent less to use nuclear energy than to use coal and other fossil fuels (Dept. of Energy). It might cost a significant amount to build the nuclear power plant in the beginning, however, the switch will end up costing less in the long run. It will cost less because the plants last up to 60 years and in that period of time, the plant creation costs look like nothing compared to the savings of nuclear energy versus fossil fuels. This is one reason that nuclear energy is much more efficient, not just in terms of waste, but in terms of annual costs.
What do annual costs have to do with us if we are not the ones paying to keep the plants running? Well, actually we are paying to keep them running. Each time we turn on a light bulb, it is using electricity created by some type of energy source. But if we were to switch to nuclear energy, some people would see a drastic decrease in their electricity bills each month. The idea of saving each month will add up to some significant savings each year and as technology continues to improve, we will continue to become more and more efficient, but will also begin to use a much larger amount of electricity. Nuclear energy is much more efficient in the amount of output than that of fossil fuels. This will allow electric companies to reach further to more cities, and bring stronger power to more people than they were ever able to do with energy produced by fossil fuels (Dept. of Energy).
Another thought is that nuclear energy is unsafe and the radiation could cause harm to the people living in the area. This thought is in part due to the connection to nuclear bombs. The two, although they have similarities, are very different in the ways that they are controlled. As of today, “nuclear energy is the safest form of energy” (Brown). This is because nuclear energy does not involve the significant danger that people have to go through in order to obtain coal and other fossil fuels. Coal miners won’t get injured in the mines or have to worry about black lungs, radiation exposure in uranium millers, or deaths and burns due to oil-rig fires (Brown). The single fact that this is a large possibility for the worker should be reason enough to either find a new, safer way to mine for coal, or stop using coal and other fossil fuels and switching to nuclear/renewable energy. Human lives are priceless, and by putting them at risk, it begs the question of is this job truly moral? Is possibly putting people’s lives at risks truly worth the risk?
I have always been interested in what saves the most money and what is the most efficient. I became intrigued with energy, and came across some interesting charts showing just how cost efficient nuclear energy versus fossil fuels. I also saw the pollution in certain countries that makes it necessary for the people living there to wear masks when outside their homes and buy oxygen in order to breathe safely. With people not able to be at their healthiest because of pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels, I began to become concerned for the future of the Earth and the people/animals on it. In order to save the earth and prevent injuries and even deaths, we need to switch to Nuclear energy. This more sustainable, safer, and more efficient form of energy will be a benefit to the world in terms of both cost as well as pollution.