Nuclear Power Plants' Effects on the Environment (Essay Sample)

My main topic that I will be looking at is Nuclear Power Plants and their effects on our environment. Whether it is good to continue using power plants may be a bigger risk factor. If they were too, one day would turn out to be more harmful than good. Nuclear power plants may use our water sources to produce steam that will generate our electricity. I would hope that there could be an alternative way to gain electrical power without having such a big object that pollutes our air and potential water supplies.  What if the world were to shut down power plants maybe not all at once, but to test the waters to see if those certain areas being tested out could benefit without the use of nuclear power. While I do believe that power plants do have their benefits. How much of that actually outweighs the damage they are ultimately doing. There is no doubt that nuclear power has problems that can cost human lives, but such risks are borne by all major modes of energy production. Therefore, the question shouldn’t be, ‘is nuclear energy deadly?’ Instead, we should ask ‘is nuclear energy more dangerous than other energy sources?’ Wilkerson, J. (2016, October 25) This will be the thing that I will be looking into, weighing out the impact of Nuclear Power Plants on the environment. 

Nuclear power plants do have an impact on our environment and the world.  While it is not entirely negative, there are positives that come from having power plants. One being that areas that need to run on nuclear powered electric energy have a sustained source. With the first power plant being opened, in 1954 the first nuclear power plant connected to an external grid goes operational in Obninsk, Outside of Moscow. Long, T. (2012, June 27) But the downside of impact is that it can create air pollution, and possible pollution of our water. Us humans do need our power and clean water, but could there be another way to attain that if power plants weren’t a thing? Could the benefit of not having any power plants that cause harm to our world be more crucial in say ten or even fifteen years down the road? As we get older and new generations have the responsibility to protect our world. How much of a fighting chance will they have if any power plant at any given time could potentially malfunction or worse explode? One side effect of nuclear power is the amount of nuclear waste it produces. It has been estimated that the world produces some 34,000m3 of nuclear waste each year, waste that takes years to degrade. Unwin, J. (2019, May 28)  This is one main concern that I have for our future, because in all things good, there are always consequences waiting around the corner.  

One of the things I think is most important about the topic of Nuclear Power Plants is how much good and or bad they cause on our world as a whole. When power plants imite air pollution or water pollution from their factories, we humans are not just the only ones breathing in potential hazardous toxins; it affects our wildlife that inhabit the surrounding areas. This one negative has a huge impact on us all that I believe could be changed, if all power plants were to go green, and switch to clean air then that might be a good starting point to remedy one of the problems that some if not all power plants have with the potential hazards they emit. The good news is that a growing number of scientists who specialize in radiation, climate, and public health are speaking out for nuclear power plants as critical to saving lives. Shellenberger, M. (2018, September 6) While the positives are that we humans are sustained from the output of electrical energy.  This positive is always reliable so long as the power plants are up and maintained running, and in turn monitored thoroughly to make sure that no accidents happen.

In Conclusion; Nuclear power comes with risks. So does warming a planet; The high cost of nuclear power today says little about where things might stand in a few decades, when the world should be well on its way to powering its grids with low-carbon technologies alone. As stated by Wagner, G. (2022, January 7) To figure out the best way to move forward with nuclear power plants and use them for the greater good, and to know when to shut them down if and when they might   one day cause more harm. So in turn I believe that we as a human race have a responsibility to keep our footprint and our mark on the world in a positive way, and to make sure the use of nuclear power plants isn’t used in a negative fashion. 

References

Bromet, E. J. (2014, February). Emotional consequences of nuclear power plant disasters. Health physics. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3898664/ 

Clifford, C. (2021, October 4). Why California is shutting down its last nuclear plant. CNBC. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/02/why-is-california-closing-diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant.html 

Joskow, P. L., & Parsons, J. E. (2009, September 1). Economic future of nuclear power. MIT Press. Retrieved March 1, 2022,

Long, T. (2012, June 27). June 27, 1954: World’s First Nuclear Power Plant Opens. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2012/06/june-27-1954-worlds-first-nuclear-power-plant-opens/#:%7E:text=Nuclear%20power%20as%20an%20energy,Soviet%20science%20city%20is%20born.

Mileti, D. S., & Peek, L. (2000, May 31). The social psychology of public response to warnings of a nuclear power plant accident. Journal of Hazardous Materials. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389400001795 

Qiao, F. L., Wang, G. S., Zhao, W., Zhao, J. C., Dai, D. J., Song, Y. J., & Song, Z. Y. (2011, May 18). Predicting the spread of nuclear radiation from the damaged fukushima nuclear power plant - science bulletin. SpringerLink. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11434-011-4513-0 

Shellenberger, M. (2018, September 6). If Nuclear Power Is So Safe, Why Are We So Afraid Of It? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2018/06/11/if-nuclear-power-is-so-safe-why-are-we-so-afraid-of-it/?sh=5e7433a16385

Unwin, J. (2022, April 8). Nuclear power: The pros and cons of the energy source. Power Technology. https://www.power-technology.com/analysis/nuclear-power-pros-cons/

Wagner, G. (2022, January 7). Is Nuclear Power Part of the Climate Solution? WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-nuclear-power-part-of-the-climate-solution-11641571176

Wilkerson, J. (2016, October 26). Reconsidering the Risks of Nuclear Power. Science in the News. https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2016/reconsidering-risks-nuclear-power/