Is Nuclear Energy Bad For The Environment

600 000 people still suffering from the effects of chernobyl.

Is nuclear energy bad for the environment.

4 000 fatalities in the chernobyl disaster. Disadvantages of nuclear energy. Saves 12 billion dollars each year for energy costs because of nuclear power. They create 0 5 jobs for every megawatt hour of electricity produced.

Nuclear power plants are expensive to build prompting wall street to call new nuclear a bet the farm risk. The environmental impact of nuclear power results from the nuclear fuel cycle operation and the effects of nuclear accidents. The greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear fission power are much smaller than those associated with coal oil and gas and the routine health risks are much smaller than those associated with coal. Nuclear energy has been proposed as an answer to the need for a clean energy source as opposed to co2 producing plants.

Throughout the history of nuclear power plants there have been a few major events that have occurred with the most well known one being chernobyl. These materials can remain radioactive and dangerous to human health for thousands of years. 35 deaths from the windscale fire. Nuclear energy isn t just bad for the environment it s bad for our economy.

Every nuclear plant under construction in the united states is well behind schedule and at least 1 billion over budget. Currently there are no long term storage solutions for radioactive waste and most is stored in temporary above ground facilities. Nuclear plants create more jobs than other forms of energy. Nuclear energy is not necessarily a clean energy source.

Nuclear energy produces radioactive waste. A major environmental concern related to nuclear power is the creation of radioactive wastes such as uranium mill tailings spent used reactor fuel and other radioactive wastes. Nuclear energy is bad. 57 nuclear accidents since 1986 averaging out to just over two nuclear accidents each year.

The waste generated by nuclear reactors remains radioactive for tens to hundreds of thousands of years 1. It is estimated that nuclear facilities have saved 1 84 million lives since their inception by preventing the release of countless amounts of harmful pollutants emissions. This is in comparison to 0 19 jobs in coal 0 05 jobs in gas fired plants and 0 05 in wind power. Ten strikes against nuclear energy 1.

The effects nuclear energy have on the environment pose serious concerns that need to be considered especially before the decision to build additional nuclear power. Of course with the good comes the bad and nuclear power is no different.