Don't Nuke Green Energy!

Greenpeace is trying to bring everybody's attention to the damage that nuclear power could cause to the Earth. Nuclear power must be stopped and nuclear plants should be shut down so we can develop a clean energy. Billions of dollars are being spent to make these nuclear plants and to keep them up and running. We would be saving money, and the environment if it were stopped.

Greenpeace's "Don't Nuke Green Energy!" campaign is fighting for an energy resource that fights climate change and improves the economy. They feel that nuclear energy does not do that. They also want it to be something clean and renewable, such as wind, water and solar.

Before I can support this cause, we should be looking at the pro's and con's of nuclear energy.

PROS:

1. Little pollution

Coal, gas and oil power plants are responsible for half of America's air pollution. Those 3 are the reason we have carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and acid rain. Coal also contains radioactive material, yet a coal-fired power plant emits more radiation than a nuclear power plant. The world is running out of fossil fuels while there is still a large amount of uranium. Using a nuclear energy would last longer than coal, gas or oil and it will provide less pollution as well.

2. Reliability

Nuclear power plants don't need much fuel. We have a huge supply of uranium in the world right now. The only disadvantage of uranium is that it leaves the residues from chemical processing of the ore, which leads to radon exposure to the public. Although, taking the uranium out of the ground also reduces future radon exposures. Coal burning also has its negatives since it leaves ashel that will increase future radon exposure. The estimates of radon show that using nuclear fuel is safer than burning coal.

CONS:

1. Meltdowns

I could get really in-depth about why a meltdown is a con, but I think it's self explanatory. We've all seen those cartoons or movies where the nuclear plant malfunctions and it explodes and destroys the city. While this may not be the exact same reaction, a meltdown is still pretty bad.

2. Radiation

Radiation is very dangerous towards humans. Radiation doses of about 200 rems cause radiation sickness. Being hit by a certain amount of radiation is also fatal. Radiation causes cancer, radiation sickness and genetic mutation. Being hit by a small does of radiation can still cause this and it won't be detectable.

3. Waste Disposal

The byproducts of uranium remains radioactive for thousands of years. This requires safe disposal away from society until they lose some radiation. Many underground sites were made, only to be filled very quickly. Storage facilities are not good enough to store the world's nuclear waste, which severely limits how much nuclear fuel can be used. Transportation to other places is risky because of any coincidences that may affect the containment vessels. If something severe were to happen, the results may be deadly.

After my research, I think that we should get rid of nuclear energy. We can find a way to replace it through something like wind or solar energy. Nuclear energy leaves radioactive remains that can last for a long time, which is something that we don't want. If you think about it, we are tempted to use coal and uranium because we have it. If we stopped mining and we didn't have it, we would resort to using solar energy, water energy and wind energy. These are so much more environmental friendly, and they give the same results. It just seems like a better idea.

SOURCES:

http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/end-the-nuclear-threat/

http://members.tripod.com/funk_phenomenon/nuclear/procon.htm

COMMENTS:

http://cfbioblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/oil-in-arctic.html

http://ilurvebiology.tumblr.com/post/1225449390/an-hour-without-light