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Is Nuclear Power Worth the Risk? Essay

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Nuclear Energy
In the following, the benefits and drawbacks of generating electricity with the use of nuclear energy will be discussed.
Advantages
Large amount of energy production
Nuclear power produces huge amount of energy through nuclear fission. 1 ton of uranium fuel, which is used as a fuel in generating electricity, equals to 50,000 tons of fossil fuels for generating the same amount of electricity. Since a small amount of nuclear fuel can produce a large amount of energy, it is powerful and efficient.

No air pollution
Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear energy has the lowest impact on the environment since it does not release any gases like carbon dioxide, methane which are largely responsible for …show more content…

Such kind of waste emits radiations from tens to hundreds of years. These reactive radicals make the sand or the water contaminated. It is known as mixed waste. The mixture cause hazardous chemical reactions and leads to dangerous complications.

Serious damage in accidents
On 11 March 2011 in Japan, the Fukushima nuclear power plant was seriously damaged by an earthquake and the radioactive substances were leaked to the surrounding. Local people had to evacuate away and up till now they are living under threat.

Moreover, radioactive material had been detected in a range of produce, including tea leaves, milk and fish. Many products were banned to be exported to other countries. However, the safety and health of local people were affected by the contaminated products.
In addition, radiation from the disaster was spread to several countries nearby, such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and North America, Northern Europe and so on via distribution by sea and air. Analysis
One issue that has caused a great deal of controversy over the years is nuclear energy, particularly after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Different people have various opinions towards the use of nuclear energy and building of nuclear power plant. The views from different countries are summarized after the accident in Japan below.

According to a survey carried out by WIN-Gallup International in 2011, with 70%

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