Argumentative Essay On Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear Fusion: the Premier Solution to Climate Change
The search for a viable source of renewable energy is a centuries old affair. For the entirety of that time, the research has been met with opposition from both a political and economic standpoint. To present renowned scientific evidence of its existence and impact was to invite accusations of fabrication. To simply state, as former United States Vice President Al Gore famously put it, “[the] inconvenient truth” that a culture of consumption will have dire consequences for humanity’s future was heresy. For years, those in industry lobbies, and politicians in corporate pockets, have shot down legislative attempts at utilizing more conservative energy options. However, the urgent warnings

by the scientific community, and the more socially conscious public, have finally helped to thrust this huge issue into the limelight. As the climate change conversation is finally ramping up, we are starting to look at alternative sources of energy, ones capable of sustaining the growing population but with a smaller ecological footprint. The blossoming field of nuclear fusion offers a palliative systemic overhaul that simultaneously reduces global tensions and combats growing energy crises in a clean, complementary, and sustainable manner.
There was a significant spike in interest in nuclear chemistry and the use of radioactive materials “after the discovery of radioactivity by Antoine Henri Becquerel and Marie and Pierre Curie, who jointly received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1903, and of radium and polonium by Marie Curie, who received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1911.” (Nat’l Research Council 3) The increased interest also resulted in rigorous regulations regarding personal safety and waste disposal.

(“Radiation”) Since the field of nuclear fusion is constantly evolving, stringent safety regulations are smoothly expanded upon and have the added bonus of increasing efficiency and accessibility. Alongside this, nuclear fusion is being developed with a heavy focus on safety, purity, and efficiency. (“Fusion”) This effort is readily exhibited when compared to nuclear fission. Nuclear fission primarily employs fissile isotopes of radioactive elements. (“Sustainable” 3100) These isotopes are far more open to instability and proliferation. . (“Sustainable” 3100) Another concern that has been repeatedly underscored is iodine-131 (131I). “The fission of uranium produces large amounts of 131I that may be released into the atmosphere in the course of a nuclear accident (2.878% yield of 235U)… [and] can enter the body via inhalation or ingestion of contaminated food or milk.” (“Managing” 4159) Although 131I only has a half-life of eight days, 131I’s ionizing radiation has repeatedly been found to quickly

concentrate itself in the thyroid gland, where it emits beta rays and causes further cellular damage. The development of both benign and malignant thyroid nodules has been documented in the accidents at Three Mile Island (1979), Chernobyl (1986), and Fukushima-Daiichi (2011); and after the atomic explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (“Managing” 4159)
Nuclear fusion mimics the sun’s own recurring fusion via two elemental isotopes of hydrogen: deuterium (2H or “heavy water”) and tritium (3H).

Deuterium is inexpensively extracted from water, and tritium is produced during the reaction itself via lithium. Deuterium and lithium are placed within a containment field created by two large electromagnets, with water below, and the two are heated until they become highly ionized gas, or plasma. From there, the heat is maintained until the two sets of plasma come together, or fuse, and release a burst of energy that surpasses all other methods, including nuclear fission. Nuclear fusion is a safer method of nuclear power, as the isotopes are proven stable both alone and together, are not exceedingly radioactive, and do not pose any known threat of pollution. Alongside this, nuclear fusion is an “intrinsically safe [fusion] reactor operation” as a combination of the “sensitive temperature-pressure balance requirement for reactions to occur” and the minimal amount of material necessary to produce energy ensures that “even in the event of a loss of coolant or power-failure, there is no danger of runaway processes caused by uncontrolled chain-reactions, avoiding the possibility of major accidents.” (“Fusion” 10) Nuclear fusion can be considered a method of harnessing renewable solar energy, and easily complements not only the existing solar initiatives, but those of wind and hydroelectric power as well. (“Fusion”) Currently, nuclear

fusion projects are overwhelmingly funded by private investors, and are predominantly found in the European countries of France and Germany. The majority of designs and attempts at building a nuclear fusion reactor have remained small-scale—some successful and others not—due to the overwhelming cost, but that could soon change. (“Application”) The first full-scale nuclear fusion reactor, the Wendelstein 7-X, was recently completed in Germany in October 2015, and is set to be activated in November 2015.
Nuclear fusion is moving further away from a widely-thought theoretical and overtly idealistic outlook at a quickened pace, and at an ideal moment. The overwhelming mortality rate of fossil fuels has long been documented. The most notable fossil fuel, coal, has an overwhelmingly high mortality rate over other fossil fuels. (“Preventing” 4891-892) Likewise, the healthcare costs involved with illness and injury pertaining to coal use has remained an incredibly large sum. (“Preventing” 4891-892; “Hidden” 75-82, 87-108) Perhaps the most pressing of all, coal has by-and-far the most horrifically detrimental impact on the environment and climate change. (“Preventing” 4893; “Hidden” 75-82, 87-108) That is not to say that the other fossil fuels are negligible—not by any means. (“Preventing” 4890; “Hidden”) But coal is in a unique position, as there is a growing backlash against the use of it to a degree never before seen. In a comparative check, all fossil fuels have a higher rate of mortality (individual and cumulative basis) than renewable resources. (“Preventing” 4892) Out of the renewable resources, nuclear energy currently holds the lowest mortality and pollution rate of all. (“Preventing” 4891-4892) Another noteworthy fact is that the bliss of fossil fuels lies in their simplicity. The ease of moving large supplies of coal, and simply burning it to produce the amount of energy necessary to supply the limited technology made it the perfect fit for decades and centuries ago. (“Hidden” 71-75) The fact that it is so accessible is why it is so appealing to developing countries. However, modern science, engineering, and education are flourishing and advancements are made every day now. Before now, to consider leaving a dependency on coal and other fossil fuels so abruptly would have been ludicrous. But now, such an ideal situation presents itself as exceedingly plausible. The heightened appreciation and demand for “green” technologies is quickening the pace of development, and commercialization of renewable energy technology is a certainty for the near-future. (“Fusion”) Although the usual technology that comes to mind would be solar panels, windmills, and hydroelectric dams, it is an accepted reality that the cost of manufacturing enough to even attempt to support current energy necessities would be an economically unsound decision. This is where nuclear fusion would excel. Even though it has a similar pitfall, where it could act as the singular energy system but the cost is still far too high, nuclear fusion could easily carry fifty percent to seventy percent of global energy, while a mixture of solar panels, windmills, and hydroelectric dams cover the remaining energy necessities. (“Fusion”) Nuclear fusion is a virtually limitless process, and can provide an astounding amount of energy for an extensive amount of time. (“Fusion”) Presently, projections include five-hundred million watts from ITER, a fusion reactor that is under construction in France, and one billion watts from K-DEMO, a jointly developed reactor in South Korea. (“Nuclear”) Needless to say, nuclear fusion offers an exceptionally appealing enterprise and investment.
Developing countries often look towards the most accessible energy sources. If the country lacks a viable means for expansion and development, another country will import the raw materials and resources to assist them. The most common result is that the country doubles up with biomass and imported coal. (“Hidden” 72) This practice presents serious moral, ethical and legal ramifications as there would likely be a drastic uptick in the amount of pollution and the severity of it effects. An increase in illness and mortality would almost certainly occur, and the ecologically-destructive biomass collection processes would potentially reach catastrophic proportions. As a result, the country would likely find its own resources severely limited. Although it certainly would not be an immediate reaction, a functioning nuclear fusion reactor in a developed country would demonstrate their efficacy and investment-based affordability; in turn, driving commercialization forward and lowering the perceived cost of the reactors overall. With this, nations could safely phase out fossil fuel industries and bring in nuclear fusion and its complementary counter-parts, effectively utilizing its researchers, scientists, and materials that are already on-hand. Current efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to achieve this exact goal have seen exceptional progress. Acting as the all-in-one facilitator, the IAEA has successfully created an international collaborative network where “fostering intellectual diversity and efficiency in fusion development” is key. (“Fusion” 18) There are approximately thirty-five countries actively involved in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project; a number of “individual countries… engaged in research for fusion to become a future source of energy”; multiple internationally approved and actively maintained databases; and several meetings, conferences, and workshops year-round. (“Fusion” 18-22) Moreover, the IAEA actively vets a continuous stream of incoming information and data, not only through in-person conferences and the like, but with online input as well. “The data that we supply is also available online, cost-free and without any login requirements. They are openly available to Member States and for that matter to non-Member States. We don’t make a distinction,” said Bastiaan Braams, Head of the Atomic and Molecular Data Unit, IAEA Nuclear Data Section. (“Fusion” 21) Above all, the simple matter of thermonuclear warfare being rendered inconceivable as threatening weaponry and resources would be repurposed for the decidedly preferential benefit of permanently solving each nation’s own energy crises, which remains the greatest benefit of all.
However daunting a picture that the term nuclear fusion may evoke, the efficacy, reliability, and value that it holds with regards to industry is paramount to the longevity and welfare of our planet and our existence.