| Nuclear Energy has been touted as an | | | | has been carried out since the bombing of |
| alternative to mainstream electricity | | | | Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War Two, and |
| production from fossil fuel sources. But how | | | | that many millions of casualties have |
| does Nuclear compare to fossil fuels in the | | | | occurred in conventional warfare since that |
| long run? | | | | same time. |
| | | | |
| Undoubtedly fossil fuels have serious issues | | | | The reality for us though is that nuclear |
| associated with them. Peak Oil production is | | | | power relies upon supplies of Uranium and |
| one such problem which will very soon make | | | | Plutonium that are themselves limited. While |
| its presence felt at both the national and | | | | these resources may have only begun to be |
| individual level. Another even more serious | | | | exploited, it is certain that if our current |
| concern is the possibility of serious and | | | | level of increase of energy consumption |
| perhaps irreversible climate change brought | | | | continues then Nuclear fuel will also face |
| about by pollution primarily in the form of | | | | the prospect of its own peak production |
| Carbon Dioxide emissions from the burning of | | | | level. |
| fossil fuels. | | | | |
| | | | It cannot be a responsible decision to |
| So how does Nuclear energy stand up as an | | | | replace fossil fuels with another energy |
| alternative to fossil fuels in terms of a | | | | source that is also doomed to run out in the |
| sustainable source of electricity production? | | | | foreseeable future. While those proponents of |
| There are several concerns about Nuclear | | | | Nuclear power proclaim it as the salvation of |
| energy that have given it a bad name. Reactor | | | | our current situation they are not looking |
| problems such as those that caused the Three | | | | far enough into the future. |
| Mile Island and Chernobyl incidents, along | | | | |
| with several others, are far fewer in number | | | | To make correct, responsible decisions that |
| relative to the scale of electricity | | | | take into account not only our own welfare |
| production than compared to casualties in the | | | | but also that of our children and their |
| mining sector associated with oil and coal. | | | | children, we need to adopt wide scale |
| | | | renewable energy in the form of Solar and |
| Storage of Nuclear waste is also largely an | | | | Wind power. These proven technologies have |
| issue of the past with technology now | | | | the capacity to meet our energy demands TODAY |
| available to store Nuclear waste in solid | | | | with no adverse future effects, assuming they |
| form, reducing virtually to zero the | | | | are implemented in an intelligent way. |
| possibility of leakage, ground water | | | | |
| contamination and so forth. | | | | It is time for Governments around the world |
| | | | to stop looking for excuses and start making |
| Use of fuel enrichment to produce weapons | | | | moves that assure the coming generations a |
| grade nuclear materials such as Plutonium-239 | | | | safe, energy rich and pollution free world. |
| is an unfortunate but essential part of the | | | | We need to begin implementing massive scale |
| economical use of nuclear fuel. It is worth | | | | renewable energy immediately. |
| remembering that no aggressive nuclear strike | | | | |