Nuclear energy has no place in a safe, clean, sustainable future. Nuclear energy is both expensive and dangerous, and just because nuclear pollution is invisible doesn't mean it's clean. New nuclear plants are more expensive and take longer to build than renewable energy sources like wind or solar.
Nuclear power plants are a potential target for terrorist operations. An attack could cause major explosions, putting population centers at risk, as well as ejecting dangerous radioactive material into the atmosphere and surrounding region.
The 17 Countries Generating The Most Nuclear Power
- Sweden.
- Spain.
- Belgium.
- India.
- Czech Republic.
- Switzerland.
- Finland. The Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant is being built next to the existing Olkiluoto 1 and 2 plants on Finland's western coast.
- Japan. A Tokyo Electric Power Co.
On 16 July 1945, the 'Trinity' nuclear test plunged humanity into the so-called Atomic Age. The first-ever nuclear bomb was detonated in New Mexico, at the Alamogordo Test Range. Nicknamed the “gadget”, the plutonium-based implosion-type device yielded 19 kilotons, creating a crater over 300 metres wide.
Italy is the only G8 country without its own nuclear power plants, having closed its last reactors in 1990. In 2008, government policy towards nuclear changed and a substantial new nuclear build program was planned.
The Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor, near Middletown, Pa., partially melted down on March 28, 1979. This was the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history, although its small radioactive releases had no detectable health effects on plant workers or the public.
In the United States some 1,500 women marched in Washington, D.C., to make their appeal. That same year Bella Abzug and Dagmar Wilson, who had been influential in organizing the strike, founded the Women Strike for Peace (WSP) organization.
Here are some of the main cons of nuclear energy.
- Expensive to Build. Despite being relatively inexpensive to operate, nuclear power plants are incredibly expensive to build—and the cost keeps rising.
- Accidents.
- Produces Radioactive Waste.
- Impact on the Environment.
- Security Threat.
- Limited Fuel Supply.
The evidence over six decades shows that nuclear power is a safe means of generating electricity. The risk of accidents in nuclear power plants is low and declining. The consequences of an accident or terrorist attack are minimal compared with other commonly accepted risks.
Nuclear power releases less radiation into the environment than any other major energy source. Second, nuclear power plants operate at much higher capacity factors than renewable energy sources or fossil fuels. Third, nuclear power releases less radiation into the environment than any other major energy source.
Nuclear fuel is extremely dense. However, some advanced reactors designs being developed could operate on used fuel. The NICE Future Initiative is a global effort under the Clean Energy Ministerial that makes sure nuclear will be considered in developing the advanced clean energy systems of the future.
France derives about 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy, due to a long-standing policy based on energy security. Government policy is to reduce this to 50% by 2035. France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity due to its very low cost of generation, and gains over €3 billion per year from this.
Advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power stations
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|
| Produces no polluting gases. | Waste is radioactive and safe disposal is very difficult and expensive. |
| Does not contribute to global warming. | Local thermal pollution from wastewater affects marine life. |
Facts: Nuclear energy is one of the cleanest sources of energy in the United States, emitting no greenhouse gases when generating electricity. It's our only carbon-free energy source that operates around the clock for 18 to 24 months at a time. Nuclear power plants don't burn anything.
Nuclear is reliable.Nuclear plants are the most efficient source of electricity, operating 24/7 at a more than 93 percent average capacity factor. That's more than two times the capacity factor of any other carbon-free source.
SHARE. Nuclear weapons are the most destructive, inhumane and indiscriminate weapons ever created. A single nuclear bomb detonated over a large city could kill millions of people. The use of tens or hundreds of nuclear bombs would disrupt the global climate, causing widespread famine.
