Nuclear energy has long been proposed as a viable alternative to fossil fuels for energy worldwide since the first commercial nuclear power stations began operation in the United States during the 1950s. At present, there are over 435 commercial nuclear power plants operating in 31 countries worldwide, generating 11 percent of the world’s power. Nuclear plants are able to generate large amounts of energy through the splitting of atomic nuclei in a process known as nuclear fission. The amount of energy released by nuclear fission is measured in units of electron volts, eV, and typical figures can range up to 200 million electron volts. Compared to the combustion of fossil fuels, which release only a few electron volts per reaction, nuclear power dominates in terms of power …show more content…
This storage time can last from several days to millions of years depending on the isotope of uranium used [14]. This can be problematic as many cases have been reported of nuclear waste being mishandled resulting in pollution to the surrounding environment, as was the case in France in 2008, when over 75kg of radioactive material seeped into the ground, polluting nearby rivers and land [15]. Though nuclear plants are subject to very rigorous safety testing, accidents still occur, most recently on 11th March 2011 in Fukushima, Japan, when a tsunami caused the malfunction of vital cooling equipment which resulted in three nuclear meltdowns and the release of radioactive material into the North Pacific Ocean [16]. All land within 20 kilometres of the plant, a total of 600 square kilometres, has been deemed a permanent exclusion zone by the Japanese government. Large amounts of radioactive Caesium-137 have detected in a range of Japanese foodstuffs, from tea leaves, beef, milk and freshwater fish as far as 300 kilometres from the Fukushima plant
Contrary to popular belief, nuclear power plants are unable to explode. Power plants use fuel that is thirty to ninety times too diluted to explode.
Nuclear power produces fewer carbon emissions than traditional energy sources because energy is not produced by burning molecules but splitting atoms. ‘An energy mix including nuclear power has the lowest impact on wildlife and Ecosystems’ as shown by a Conservation Biology paper. Consequently, greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by nearly half which shows the benefits and popularity of nuclear power use. Nuclear power has many environmental benefits such as small waste production, leaves no adverse effect on water, land or any habitats. By reducing fossil fuel consumption and switching to Nuclear Energy, we will sustain the environment, quality of air, improving the overall quality of
The atomic bombs were that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan took place on August 6, 1945 and August 9, 1945. There is a great deal of controversy regarding whether or not the Untied States should have dropped the bombs on the Japanese cities. Using the atomic bombs have both pros and cons that many people feel strongly about. Some believe that Japan was not close to surrendering and more causalities would have occurred during a land invasion if the bombs were not dropped. In contrast, there were also several other ways of of attempting to end war with Japan that could have been done besides using the bombs.
In the twentieth century, the United States dropped two atomic bombs, which were the most powerful weapons at that time, on Japan. It happened on August 6 and August 9, 1945. The atomic bombs killed 226,000 Japanese and ended the war. However, America should not have dropped the atomic bombs for two reasons. First, it was not necessary to drop the bomb to win the war militarily or to get the Japanese to surrender.
Sean Stelmach Mr. Seely Language Arts 8- 6 6 April 2023 Should we have dropped the Atomic Bomb? President Harry S. Truman would have to make a decision that would change the course of history forever. Bomb is a novel about the past, production, and use of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It tells the story of the race to build the most deadly weapon in history.
My argument is that I am for the decision of the atomic bomb drop on Japan. The atomic bomb save millions of American lives that stop them from doing D-Day-style on Japanese homeland and islands. These island invasion cost a lot of American casualties, and the Japanese soldiers are willing and very determine fight to the death. They see suicide as an honorable alternative to surrender. The whole population of Japan are willing to die to fight the Americans, if the U.S. didn’t dropped the bomb on Japan, then the war will dragged on and the Americans will lose a lot of casualties and Japan will lose almost all the population.
To think of the Second World War is to think of a very strategic game of chess. The objective is not to beat your opponent simply through fierce head on offense, but to understand the power of a well-planned defense. What moves can you make to keep them in check, how can you determine the threat of your opponent’s next move? The decision to drop the atomic bombs on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were just that, a strategic chess move. I argue that the decision to drop the Atomic bombs in Japan were necessary in order to end the war in the pacific, but to also to detour the impending invasion of Japan by the Soviets.
On August 6 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima,Japan, killing a estimated total of 140,000 people. The second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki,on August 9,killing an estimated 70,000 people. The bombings were considered as a turning point of World War II as it resulted in an unprecedented loss of civilian lives and inflicted long-lasting health consequences on others. Many historians still debate the decision to use atomic weapons. The historical background of the decision to drop atomic bombs involved was that by the time the bombs were dropped the war in Europe had already ended with Germany's surrender in May 1945.
I was reading on The Week magazine 's website that on July 18th, 1945, President Truman was informed that the atomic bomb tests were successful. In other words, he now knew that America held the most deadly weapon in history, a weapon able to wipe out entire cities, or even nations. What a day. Imagine the possible accomplishments with such power; imagine what America could have become if we had used the atomic bomb to conquer the world.
Nuclear energy may be the solution that eliminates our concern for energy production in the future, but it still remains a huge issue for the environment. Despite its wide use in many developed countries, nuclear energy poses many threats to both the
First of all, how did this happen initially? Well as I stated, an earthquake hit Japan in 2011 causing a tsunami measured at 10 meters high at it’s peak. This tsunami alone had 19,000 casualties. This tsunami was able to destroy the cooling and power supply of three nuclear reactors on March 11. This caused the cores to melt over three days, therefore releasing radiation all over the world.
Nuclear Fission is a process that was discovered by German scientists, Otto Hahn, and his assistant Fritz Strassman on December 17, 1938. Nuclear Fission is a process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts. This will release free photons and neutrons, and releases a large amount of energy. If this energy is controlled, it can be used for nuclear energy for nuclear power plants. On the contrary, this process can be used uncontrollably in atomic bombs, such as the ones dropped in World War II.
One cannot deny that some nuclear waste is produced and that it is radioactive. However, according to the World Nuclear Association in many countries, nuclear waste accounts for just 1% of all toxic wastes. This means that only a small amount of waste is produced and it would be easy to contain. Furthermore, the BBC states that you are able to reprocess nuclear waste and reuse up to 97% of it. This means that waste can be reduced even further and that that supplies of Uranium can be sustained for longer.
Nuclear energy is a fairly complex process, involving many detailed scientific processes Although nuclear energy can be confusing, understanding what nuclear energy is and the basic elements of nuclear energy is vital to understanding nuclear energy’s advantages and disadvantages. Nuclear energy begins with an element: uranium. While the use of other elements such as thorium in nuclear reactors have been hypothesized on, uranium is the main fuel used in the nuclear energy field. Uranium is a metallic element that is solid at room temperature and is naturally radioactive. (Gagnon, “The Element Uranium”)
Furthermore, catastrophes like Three Mile Island in 1979 and Chernobyl in 1986 underscores yet again the importance of abandoning nuclear energy as an answer to energy independence. Similarly, horrific images from the meltdown of the three reactors of the Fukushima Diachi plant in 2011 spread across the news and social media creating apprehension of a nuclear meltdown. Moreover, leakage of dangerous radiation has deadly consequences to the human body like mutations in DNA. Nuclear power also poses security issues because it could be used to establish nuclear weapons illegally, which can increase terrorism. Consequently, nuclear energy is not a commercially justified source of energy because nuclear power plants are still unsafe, and power plants help proliferate nuclear