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Fossil fuels and alternate sources of energy
Nuclear energy effects on society
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America relies heavily on foreign sources for the energy to run the country. The issue has received much media attention due to the political and economic implications it will have in the near future. This problem could at least be partially solved by using technology that already exists, rather than relying heavily on ones that have yet to come to fruition. America’s energy woes – specifically its reliance on fossil fuels – can be solved by reviving nuclear energy with the use of politics to tackle perceived dangers, technological advancements to make them more feasible, and public outreach to promote acceptance. Nuclear power has been around for decades and can be easily utilized to help meet America’s energy needs. With energy security and climate change being two of the many issues at the forefront of America’s problems, there is a growing need to find solutions. While alternative sources of energy such as wind, solar, and geothermal have great potential, they are technologies that still need to be refined and perfected. In contrast to that, nuclear energy has been around for decades and is utilized to a limited extent already. Instead of relying on the future for our growing power needs, using the past may be at least part of the solution. By investing in nuclear energy, a good portion of our energy needs can be easily met. This is already the case in parts of Europe where nuclear power contributes to large portions of their energy needs. According to Balat, France acquires about three-quarters of their electricity through nuclear power (2007). Although nuclear energy alone cannot be the entire solution, it can provide a large portion of the solution. It is widely known that America is going to need to find alternatives for... ... middle of paper ... ... the power plant. In turn that means the operators need to invest in proper security and management to keep the waste from being a growing problem. Furthermore, for nuclear energy to gain traction a public support base is needed. Without the public approving of what is going on, nothing can happen. There needs to be a general consensus on what needs to be done and what is acceptable. Operators of plants as well as governments need to prove that they are capable of managing the power plants. Aside from hydropower, nuclear power is the only proven energy source that does not contribute greenhouse gases to climate change. Nuclear power is only one part of a larger solution that is needed to reduce America’s contribution to climate change. Nuclear energy is beneficial in the long run and can prove to be a good starting point in the development of cleaner energy sources.
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.
Introduction The reliance on other countries for fossil fuels that produce energy has put the United States of America at risk of being pulled into unstable regions around the world, jeopardizing international relationships and putting its own citizens in harm’s way. America needs to balance both the pursuit of alternative energy solutions and reducing energy usage. Our military runs on fossil fuels produced by other nations who do not have similar interests or values as the United States, ultimately adding unwanted risk that becomes difficult to manage. There are advantages to alternative energy solutions that could allow for America to become an independent energy nation, eliminating the need to support and stabilize various regions around the world. The U.S. Military needs to reduce its overall energy usage by taking advantage of breakthrough technologies that could be integrated into current systems.
Central Idea: Nuclear energy only contributes a small amount to the world’s electricity yet it has hazards and dangers that far out-way its benefits. There are many other alternative power producing sources that can produce energy more efficiently and more safely than nuclear power plants can.
After the United States developed the atomic at the end of World War II, interest in nuclear technology increased exponentially. People soon realized that nuclear technology could be used for electricity, as another alternative to fossil fuels. Today, nuclear power has its place in the world, but there is still a lot of controversy over the use of nuclear energy. Things such as the containment of radiation and few nuclear power plant accidents have given nuclear power a bad image. However, nuclear power is a reliable source of energy because it has no carbon emissions, energy is available at any time, little fuel is needed for a lot of energy, and as time goes on, it is becoming safer and safer.
“Where does our power come from?”, when asked, many people would not know the answer to this question. Some might say wind, water, or solar, but the main provider of America’s power are coal plants and nuclear reactors running to keep the lights on. Unfortunately, there is no free energy, it comes with a cost to the environment and its inhabitants. So when the choice arises to change the way humanity looks at our consumption of power, why chose the way we do things. Because the time has come for us as a country and the world to make the switch from the old to the new. We need to switch to nuclear power instead of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Nuclear energy is a clean way to create electricity vesus other ways that produce the same amount
“Face it. Nukes are the most climate-friendly industrial-scale form of energy” (Power, Reiss, Pearlstein, 655). This statement is what I’m trying to promote through my argument. It also ties Inconvenient Truths: 10 Green Heresies by Matt Powers, Spencer Reiss, and Jonanna Pearlstein and Nuclear Power is Best Energy Source: Potchef Stroom together by bring out the main point all authors are trying to get across. Global warming has been a big concern for years now and one of the biggest causes for it, is the burning of fossil fuels to get energy. People that live in the United States of America use a huge amount of energy in their daily lives and that amount continues to grow with our population growing with it. My purpose of this piece is to persuade people to switch to nuclear power for a cleaner energy source because it’s the cleanest energy source.
The world is facing an energy crisis and many are unaware of this growing problem. Sustainability is avoiding depletion of our natural resources in order to provide for future generations, and the only way to ensure that resources are available into the future is to find alternative sources to meet the world’s energy needs. Nuclear energy is just one source of alternative energy being implemented today in an effort to support the needs of the population and mitigate global climate change. Nuclear energy holds the necessary benefits in order to continue being used globally as an alternative solution.
Nuclear power is the generation of electricity from an atomic reaction. (World Statistics: Nuclear Energy Around the World n.d.) Though it produces zero carbon emissions there has been a decline in support for nuclear power and increased its support for alternative energies in the pursuit for a fossil free energy sector. Factors that have resulted in the reduction of support for nuclear energy include nuclear accidents and waste and the positives of renewable energy which include clean energy, sustainable and reduced health and environmental risks.
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.
America is threatened by the destruction of their own environment. United States is known for their innovation towards alternative energy like solar power, wind power and nuclear power. However , these alternative energies are not completely beneficial towards the United States.
“By 2050, one-third of the world’s energy will need to come from solar, wind, and other renewable resources” (www.altenergy.org). America can no longer rely so heavily on nuclear energy. America needs to harness the energy found within natural, renewable resources. In fact, nuclear energy needs to be phased out completely because of its negative impact on health, the environment, and its overall cost.
The use of nuclear power in the mid-1980s was not a popular idea on account of all the fears that it had presented. The public seemed to have rejected it because of the fear of radiation. The Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union in April of 1986 reinforced the fears, and gave them an international dimension (Cohen 1). Nevertheless, the public has to come to terms that one of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. The current largest sources of energy are the combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas. Fear of radiation may push nuclear power under the carpet but another fear of the unknown is how costly is this going to be? If we as the public have to overcome the fear of radiation and costly project, we first have to understand the details of nuclear energy. The known is a lot less scary then the unknown. If we could put away all the presumptions we have about this new energy source, then maybe we can understand that this would be a good decision for use in the near future.
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.
The global thermometer is drastically changing year by year which could overall have a devastating impact on humanity. In the film Six Degrees Could Change the World it is stated that if the temperature continues to increases by one degree Celsius, it will have a great effect on both the world and the people living in it. If it were to drastically increase by six degree, there could be catastrophic results. Global warming has been a controversial issue over the last few decades in which many individuals explore the outcome of the nation if it continues. The use of constant energy by mankind may ultimately be the ruin in which will continue increasing the temperature of the globe. However, there are both existing and new emerging technologies that could possibly transform the outcome of global warming. According to Volti (2010) “technology is not just a source of environmental problems; it can also be part of the solution” (p.97). The latest use of hybrid cars, renewing the use of energy, and the use of wind power are all forms of technological advancements that could assist in the outcome of global warming. Although technology can help to stop global warming, it cannot be the solitary factor in doing so.
Unfortunately, nearly 20% of the energy that the United States thrives on is imported, and not from particularly friendly sources. In fact, our dependence on imported oil and gas has a direct correlation with the nation’s defense budget, meaning that gaining energy independence will help to improve national security. Whereas the fossil fuel industries cannot function without imported gas and oil, all of the uranium used to fabricate nuclear fuel can be mined and processes in the United States. What’s more, is that this supply of uranium is abundant and can continue to fuel nuclear power plants for many years to come. By dissolving our dependence on foreign oil and gas, we can avoid the uncertainties that accompany the world market and ensure the independence of our energy supply.