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Nuclear Renaissance: Benefits and Concerns

The document discusses the nuclear renaissance, which aims to address issues like global warming, rising electricity needs, and energy security through increasing nuclear power production. It aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and increasing nuclear power plant capacity. However, it also acknowledges worries about safety after past accidents, the unresolved issue of radioactive waste disposal, and proliferation concerns related to potential terrorist targets or stolen materials. Overall, it argues the benefits of addressing global warming outweigh the potential negatives.

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Whitney Alexis
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8 views1 page

Nuclear Renaissance: Benefits and Concerns

The document discusses the nuclear renaissance, which aims to address issues like global warming, rising electricity needs, and energy security through increasing nuclear power production. It aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and increasing nuclear power plant capacity. However, it also acknowledges worries about safety after past accidents, the unresolved issue of radioactive waste disposal, and proliferation concerns related to potential terrorist targets or stolen materials. Overall, it argues the benefits of addressing global warming outweigh the potential negatives.

Uploaded by

Whitney Alexis
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Whitney Ellenberger NucE 430 Due 9/7/2012 Nuclear Renaissance Hopes and Worries After the start of the

e new millennia people began talking about a revival of the nuclear industry or a nuclear renaissance. This came about because of global warming and the ever increasing reliance on fossil fuels. The revival includes the increasing power capacity in current reactors and the building of many new reactors throughout the world. Those who are strong advocates of the renaissance push towards nuclear because they believe it can help several issues the world is currently facing. One is to lower greenhouse gas emissions. This is a very hot topic due to global warming. If the world increased their dependence on nuclear power then the need for other source of power would diminish, including those that use emit greenhouse gases. Another issue the people of the world today are dealing with is the rise in the need of electricity. If nuclear power plants increase their power capacities, they could help solve this problem. Building several hundred large power plants would also help the people get the electricity they need. Another goal the nuclear renaissance is hoping to achieve is energy security. In America for instances, we rely heavily on the import of fossil fuels. We have already seen how wars in those foreign countries can affect fuel prices and the amount of resources imported. If we can stop relying heavily upon the imports from foreign countries we can assure we have the energy we need at lower prices. There are some worries that the nuclear renaissance brings about. After the accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl safety has become an important issue. In order for the revival to be successful, higher safety factors must be insured. This is already being addressed and it is believed that accidents in the future will not be as catastrophic or would not even occur due to the new safety measures. Another concern that people have about the revival of nuclear power is the large amount of radioactive waste. Even though a great many of engineers and scientists have been working on an efficient and safe solution to dealing with nuclear waste, it is still unresolved. However, there are a few ideas that countries have been throwing around. Since reactors cant be built in a day, there is still plenty of time to figure out a solution. The last major worry is proliferation. Since the terrorist attacks in 2001, proliferation has been a major fear because nuclear power plants could be targets for future attacks. Also people are worried that radioactive materials could be stolen and used to make nuclear weapons that could be used against us. Because of this there has been some adversity to the revival of nuclear power. Despite the concerns some have about a nuclear renaissance, the benefits still outweigh the possible negatives. Our world is in danger. The top priority right now is reducing greenhouse gases and therefore slowing global warming. Building more plants and heightening power capacity in existing plants are great ways to do just that.

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