i have an assignment for tomorrow. I have to write an argument about the pros and cons of nuclear power plants/energy. Does anyone have some strong pros and cons? Btw i'm in highschool :) so not to advanced language ;)
You should ask your teacher to explain why the school should even be trying to promtoe nuclear power in light of the events at Fukishima. It is that politicial influence the teacher should use to illustrate how lobbying in congress works. Evaluate who (corporate entitity and the executive board and banks) profits by generating positive PR for the nuclear industry. Nuclear is an old technology that societies have outgrown. Just like you outgrew baby food and a high chair- our society globally has outgrown nuclear energy. There is no place to put the wastes. Currently the wastes from most reactors in the US for example, line waterways that feed into municipal drinking water sources. And that represents what no longer fits inside of the reactors themselves- which are packed to the rafters with nuclear waste. No reactor could ever be made safer than greed will allow. Then is the matter of radioactive dust from extraction, and refinement, and ground water contamination from refinement. How do you get rid of the radioactive tailings left over from the extraction? Mainstream US news is supressed by the fact one of the big players in the broadcasting network ownership is a defense contractor that also makes power plants. (GE) And they made the the Fukishima plants. Look up MOX reactor In short nothing good can be said about an energy source with a legacy that lingers and is deadly forever- certainly longer than the sun will shine.
Pros Once constructed they operate virtually carbon neutral Very large amount of electricity from a small area of land (compared to wind and solar - even hydro floods massive amounts of land, just look at all the towns destroyed on the Yangtze River in China) Creates lots of jobs for the local population and beyond Warm (non-radioactive) water used for cooling the steam which runs the turbines is discharged to local waters sea or estuary (if located by a river cooling towers are used) encourages breeding of fish. Cons Risk of major accident: Very Low - Hazard from major accident: High (if it does go wrong, you'd know about it!) Has to be located far from large populations which increases power loss through having to transmit electricity via inefficient power cables Lack of knowledge by the public of the risks involved with site safety, environmental impact and dealing with waste can lead to unjustified and disproportional fear of nuclear power.
Pros: When the oil runs out, as it will do in the next few decades - we really have no alternative but Nuclear energy to satisfy the huge latent demand for energy. Wind, Solar, Hydro, whilst all good, cannot meet the needs our our developed economies. Cons: Uranium isn't in particularly more plentiful supply than OIl, it too will run out, and then we're all truly screwed. It's back to the dark ages.
You wouldn't think it from the propaganda, but nuclear is the safest form of power generation ever - the only problem is that it does have the potential to really screw up a lot of real estate - as in the Ukraine. Compare deaths with nuclear power to the early days of steam. Steam used to kill people 600 at a time when the steam boats would blow up. But unfortunately the question is now not really debatable - 8 wasted years of Baby Bush and Cheney (pals of Big Oil) meant that NOTHING was ever said about any alternative form of energy. We now have no choice but to build more nuclear plants. whether we like them or not. Something has to supply large amounts of power for the next two decades - or until these alternatives actually work.
pros: nothing nothing nothing is good Con: the US has to take care of it
