Nuclear Power Plants In Australia example essay topic
Advantages for Australia Australia currently receives eighty percent of its electricity by fossil fuels such as coal. With nuclear energy, carbon emissions could drop making global warming less of an issue. Nuclear energy is the best known source of energy that does not harm the environment. Nuclear energy doesn't pollute the air with no production of carbon dioxide or any sulphur dioxide or nitrogen oxides. Nuclear materials can be used for other sources than just energy. Medical diagnosis and therapy can use nuclear energy to carry out medical procedures.
In addition nuclear materials can also be used to kill bacteria, insects and parasites from food. Is could help in Australia's Agriculture. Nuclear material can also benefit in different areas such as Industry, Space Exploration and Scientific research. Disadvantages for Australia Nuclear power plant remain dangerous, safety is said to be a myth. Nuclear still remains as the most dangerous form of energy. Another Chernobyl accident is possible at anytime to any power plant worldwide.
Even after twenty years of the incident people locally are still suffering from health issues. During normal procedures, radioactive materials are continually discharged into air and water. A solution should be devised before nuclear energy is introduced in Australia. How will the radioactive waste be disposed of? Most highly radioactive waste is spent in isolation for up to hundreds and thousands of years. Areas affected by high radioactivity are dangerous and affect many people in cancer and birth defects.
There is not a single disposal option of radioactive waste worldwide. Most common radioactive waste in foreign countries is buried underground. Money is a major issue in the production of nuclear power plants in Australia. The cost to establish a power plant is coming out if the normal tax payer's pocket.
Interest rates would rise to continue the production of the power plant. People could become homeless without the money to pay the banks. With much talk concerning global warming nuclear energy does nothing to help the environment. Nuclear power is not emission free. The emissions are released during the uranium mining, transportation of the uranium, power plant construction and decommissioning and the storage of the radioactivate waste.
This would not help the plan to cut fifty percent of current emissions by 2050. Power plants run on uranium. Uranium is very similar to other fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal with a limited of amount. The estimated resource limit is a few more decades calculated with the current level of use. A large increase of nuclear power plants in Australia will result in the shortage of nuclear fuel.
In conclusion, my opinion is that Australia should use a small number of Nuclear Power Plants. This will help the carbon emissions decrease from the burning of fossil fuels. This could help in the recovery of global warming. This could become a positive asset towards the future of Australia in health, agriculture and industry, three major work opportunities for Australian workers.
But Australia should before decide on four major solutions first on how Nuclear Power Plants can contribute positively to Australia. 1. How to dispose on the radioactivate waste effectively 2. The location of the power plants 3. How the money will be found to construct the power plants 4. The defence of the power plant.
(In case of war nuclear weapons could be deployed on the reactor.