The desire to control global warming and its effects has led many scientists and environmentalists to push for adoption of alternative energy sources. The development of nuclear power plants seems to be the sole solution accessible, for a majority of energy stakeholders. The debate is centered on advantages of nuclear energy. Little attention is given to its disadvantages. This paper views both sides of the debate, as making any decision on the adoption of this source of energy needs a critical and comprehensive analysis.
The advantages of nuclei energy are numerous. First and most importantly, the technology does it clean. It emits little green house gases. As opposed to fossil fuel, nuclear energy produces little Co2 gas, which causes global warming. This is the principal reason for its wide acceptance and promotion by environmentalists. Secondly, nuclear energy is readily available. The power is produced using uranium atoms. These atoms are readily available in large quantities, which make nuclei energy even more convenient. Nuclei energy is also economical. Using nuclear energy is economical because of its relatively high amounts of power. Uranium fission produces more than 10 million times the energy produced by burning coal. This advantage makes using nuclear power cheaper than other forms of fuel.
Despite the stated advantages of nuclei energy, adopting it as the principal source of energy for driving world economies could be quite disastrous due to is many disadvantages. The greatest undoing of nuclear energy is its production of radioactive wastes. It is general knowledge that Uranium does not produce harmful gases. However, it produces radioactive waste, which is extremely dangerous. Worst still, these dangerous radioactive wastes have a lasting effect on the environment. Therefore, emitting large amounts of these wastes into the environment could prove disastrous. Granting terrorism groups access to nuclei energy could prove costly as they can harness the energy to make harmful weapons. Atomic weapons can have devastating effects if used in war. This is because the energy has a lot of power that can turn a whole continent upside down. Investing in nuclei energy requires training of experts to handle the production process. These professionals may assist extremists in harnessing the energy for destructive purposes. Nuclei energy plants pose risky fatal accident. Despite active safety measures put in place around the plants, the possibility of a human error leaves lives at great danger. The construction and maintenance cost of a nuclei plant is another disadvantage of using it. The time and financial resources involved for construction makes it a preserve for the reach nations. Averagely, a single plant takes between 30 -60 years to complete. Lastly, the raw material, uranium, is a scarce resource. Despite the availability of technology to support continuous supply of uranium, it is bound to go extinct due to overdependence.
As evident by the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy, harnessing the energy is extremely dangerous. This contradicts the thoughts that nuclear energy is a sustainable alternative fuel in the face of worrying global warming trend. The mineral is also nonrenewable; therefore, it cannot serve future generations. We, for that matter, must stop closing our eyes to consequences of our living on earth. It is not only morally, ethically, and spiritually right to reflect on our life mission, but we should also let basic, common sense strive for sustainable living.