Although nuclear energy has many advantages, their disadvantages that cause great concern to the general public. A common opinion amongst the public is the perceived opinion that uranium is dangerous and this has proven to be a major problem when there as has been any consideration of a nuclear alternative in Australia. Another concern is the long lasting radioactive material associated with the use of uranium as a fuel source, for example, the international nuclear waste dump possibility in Adelaide. Even if the South Australian Government could convince the voting public in its state, the plan would require federal approval and changes to the law. South Australia has about 30 per cent of the world's known uranium reserves. However, the strength
The South Australian Government is looking for ways to decrease the unemployment rate within SA and some propose that this could be the answer. Are the jobs opportunities worth the sacrifice of land needed to have a nuclear waste dump? I don’t think so. Increasing the employment rate is good in the short term but, when you take into consideration the health risks, such as cancer, that a nuclear waste site holds for not only the workers but the locals it suddenly becomes unappealing. There’s no point giving them jobs when they’re all going to become terminally ill.
Nuclear energy is the energy released by a nuclear reaction (fission, fusion). In nuclear energy, the water is turned into steam, which in turn drives turbine generators to produce electricity. This can be dangerous! Some of the major disadvantages include radiations, radioactive waste that would be produced and accidents that can occur in nuclear reactors.
Since its discovery in the late 19th century, nuclear energy has been used in a diversity of areas such as atomic bombs, medicine, reducing pollution and food irradiation (Gupta, 2012). However, one of the biggest outcomes since this discovery is nuclear energy generation. This subject is largely controversial as it has many pros and cons. It is considered to be a more eco-friendly alternative source of electricity, as it emits less carbon emissions than coal-fired power stations, for example. Yet there still an environmental risk provided by the radio-active waste and its inability to be disposed of for 100,000 years (Phillips, 2012). Today in Australia there are no active nuclear power plants but that is predicted to change in the
Energy- Everyone needs it. The major challenge for the 21st century however, is generating this energy with the lowest impact on human and ecological health. A number of differing production methods have been derived in response to this, one of the most controversial of which is Nuclear energy supplied through Uranium mining. This is a uniquely topical issue in Australia, on account of the sheer amount of Uranium held in Australia’s borders (30% of the world’s reserves) and its potential impact on Australia’s economy (4), the politicised and partisan nature of nuclear debate, along with longstanding opposition associated with such striking international disasters as the Chernobyl and, more recently, Fukushima events (1). With such significant
The United States needs a change in its energy sources. Oil, first of all, is a scarce resource that will eventually run out, and it also makes the U.S. depend on the political situation in other countries, as can be seen at the frequent changes in oil prices due to the political situation in the Middle-East. Alternative energy sources are an important issue to consider and nuclear energy is certainly the most controversial. There are currently 104 nuclear power plants operating in the United States, but the licenses of those plants will expire in foreseeable future, the first one already in 2013 and the last one in 2046 (Nuclear Energy Inst.). Those expiration dates initiate the discussions if the licenses should be renewed for the plants
Some scientists mind people that the South Australia Outback is the best, the safest, the most geologically and environmentally stable place on the planet to store the nuclear waste. (Valente,2016) However, as we know, Nuclear Waste is generally mixture of solids, liquids and gases which are produced during the generation of nuclear energy during fission, mining of uranium, nuclear research and weapons production. It is radioactive and that is the primary cause of the negative effects on human health and bodies. When humans are exposed to moderate radiation for a long time, it can lead to permanent problems and even lead to death. Nuclear waste radiation can damage or kill cells of people. Cancer is the primary health effect from radiation
Uranium has become a big issue as alternative energy resources in the future due to the shortage of fossil fuel as primary energy resources in the world. Australia is one of countries that have the largest uranium deposits in the globe. So, Australia has a big opportunity to make a lot of money from uranium exports to other countries. On the other hand, The Australian Government is still debating about this issue because of negative impact on uranium mining and exploration. For these reasons, some people believe that uranium mining has more positive impacts on economic such as, benefits from uranium exports and increase a new job opportunity. However, this essay will argue that provide certain restrictions on the nuclear weapons use of
Nuclear has been in use for over fifty years and provides power to thirty two countries, manufacturing no emissions. Australia is one among the few developed countries without nuclear energy and therefore the solely G20 nation while not it. Why is that this the case? 2 reasons: worry and politics. Safety is that the issue cited most frequently by opponents of nuclear energy in Australia., however there has been only one fatal nuclear accident in nearly sixty years of generation worldwide.
In Australia, carbon emissions contribute to the problem of global warming and climate change worsening. Therefore, people want to move to a more sustainable energy future, because renewable energy is the only valid method to reduce emissions. But it is very difficult to widely use renewable energy since this transition have to face numerous barriers. This essay will argue that adopting renewable energy cannot be overcome due to lack of financial and political barriers.
The world’s need for energy is growing exponentially, our current lifestyle relies almost entirely on non-renewable energy sources in order to provide electricity for our homes. Australia has an abundance of these non-renewable materials which provide Australia with a stable form of export as well as providing employment. Australia is abundant in natural resources like iron and coal, as well as other materials, the most notable being Uranium. Uranium, which is in plentiful supply in Australia (containing 31% of the entire world’s supply), has very controversial uses.
In a 2015 study, fifteen percent of all of Canada’s electricity comes from nuclear reactors, primarily in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. That is equivalent to 100,500,000,000 kWh of energy generated just from nuclear energy every year! Nuclear energy generates a lot of energy compared to the amount it costs. The cost of nuclear energy has remained low for many decades, usually being about 7 cents per kWh (kilowatt hour). The average cost of creating 1 kWh is roughly 11 cents, meaning nuclear energy is cheaper than most energy sources. Figure 1.1 demonstrates the cost per kWh from many sources of energy that we use in Canada. Uranium is used in most nuclear reactors costs 100 dollars per kilogram in Canada, which is relatively cheap compared
Australia is a lucky country, we have a very small amount of seismic activity, we have masses of uninhabited land, and we have some of the largest deposits of uranium on earth. So this begs the question, why isn’t anyone seriously talking about nuclear power? In Australia the government is throwing millions of dollars into reducing greenhouse emissions, yet all of our power comes from the burning of coal. This is only due to lack of knowledge about radiation and nuclear power as well as over dramatization by the media. By utilizing the energy from the nucleus of uranium Australia would unlock the door to cheaper energy, less pollution, new jobs, and a future of unlimited energy.
Nuclear power has been highly controversial in the world, specifically uranium mining. Uranium mining is an option that was presented to the world for a source of nuclear weapons, nuclear medicine, as well as nuclear power. Uranium is a natural element, it has an average concentration of 2.8 per million in the Earth’s crust. Uranium is very abundant and is more plentiful than gold, silver, and mercury. The half-life of uranium-238 is 4.46 billion years, the half-life of uranium-234 is 245,000 years, and uranium-235 has a half-life of 704 million years (Uranium: Its Uses and Hazards, n.d.). There are four common kinds of extracting uranium from the ground; open pit and underground mining, in situ leach mining (ISL), heap leaching, and milling. While there are several forms of mining that have proven to be affective at extracting uranium from the ground, none of the mining types have been guaranteed to stop nuclear radiation in the area that the mining took place. Nuclear power has gotten a bad name ever since the atomic bomb, so many people have become skeptical on how safe the rising expansion of uranium mining is. The environmental implications that uranium mining has caused in the past has brought up the question on if the expansion of nuclear technology is worth the risk.
Provided that countries can acquire uranium, they can create clean and safe energy. Generally nuclear power stations are safe. The various barriers and numerous safety measures make it very unlikely for catastrophes to transpire. The most up-to-date plants have a reactor core failure 1 in 1 million years. The proposal of building a plant has to be scrutinized intensely so that the barriers and structure ensure a redundant job in
On this assignment we are going to research all energy sources and their drawbacks, we are also going to explore on some the negative ramifications that even the clean hydropower have, additionally we are going to weigh those against the possible consequences of developing nuclear power, a controversial alternative to fossil fuels. We will discuss the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster as well as the 20th century Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in drawing conclusions about risk versus reward of nuclear energy use.