The Earth has limited supplies of fossil fuels. Nuclear power plants could still produce electricity after coal and oil become scarce.
One tonne of uranium produces more energy than is produced by several million tonnes of coal.
Burning fossil fuels pollutes the air. Nuclear power plants, properly regulated, do not release contaminants into the environment.
Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
The danger of nuclear weapons
The nations that have developed nuclear power could produce more than enough nuclear bombs to kill every person on Earth.
| If two nations were in conflict they could resort to nuclear warfare. If terrorists got their hands on nuclear weapons they could do untold damage. If nuclear weapons were launched by accident, great damage could result before intervention could help. |
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Accidents
The danger of nuclear power stations having accidents;
One possible type of reactor disaster is known as a meltdown. In such an
accident, the fission reaction goes out of control, leading to a nuclear
explosion and the emission of great amounts of radiation. Two famous
examples are Three Mile Island (1986) and Chernobyl (1986).
Three Mile Island
In 1979, the cooling system failed at the Three Mile Island nuclear
reactor near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Radiation leaked, forcing tens of
thousands of people to flee. The problem was solved minutes before a
total meltdown would have occurred. Fortunately, there were no deaths.
Chernobyl
In 1986, a much worse disaster struck Russia's Chernobyl nuclear
reactor. In this incident, a large amount of radiation escaped from the
reactor. Hundreds of thousands of people were exposed to the radiation.
Several dozen died within a few days. In the years to come, thousands
more may die of cancers induced by the radiation.
Routine nuclear waste
Nuclear reactors also have waste disposal problems. Reactors produce
nuclear waste which emit dangerous radiation.
Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years.