Is Nuclear Energy Bad For The Environment

Nuclear energy has been proposed as an answer to the need for a clean energy source as opposed to co2 producing plants.

Is nuclear energy bad for the environment.

It is estimated that nuclear facilities have saved 1 84 million lives since their inception by preventing the release of countless amounts of harmful pollutants emissions. They create 0 5 jobs for every megawatt hour of electricity produced. 4 000 fatalities in the chernobyl disaster. Every nuclear plant under construction in the united states is well behind schedule and at least 1 billion over budget.

Nuclear energy isn t just bad for the environment it s bad for our economy. 600 000 people still suffering from the effects of chernobyl. Of course with the good comes the bad and nuclear power is no different. Nuclear plants create more jobs than other forms of energy.

This is in comparison to 0 19 jobs in coal 0 05 jobs in gas fired plants and 0 05 in wind power. These materials can remain radioactive and dangerous to human health for thousands of years. A major environmental concern related to nuclear power is the creation of radioactive wastes such as uranium mill tailings spent used reactor fuel and other radioactive wastes. Ten strikes against nuclear energy 1.

Nuclear energy is bad. 35 deaths from the windscale fire. However there is a catastrophic risk potential if containment. The greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear fission power are much smaller than those associated with coal oil and gas and the routine health risks are much smaller than those associated with coal.

Nuclear power plants are expensive to build prompting wall street to call new nuclear a bet the farm risk. Currently there are no long term storage solutions for radioactive waste and most is stored in temporary above ground facilities. Nuclear power plants actually emit fewer radioactive materials into the environment than a traditional coal burning plant. Nuclear energy produces radioactive waste.

8 015 overall deaths from the kytshym disaster. Throughout the history of nuclear power plants there have been a few major events that have occurred with the most well known one being chernobyl. Saves 12 billion dollars each year for energy costs because of nuclear power. The environmental impact of nuclear power results from the nuclear fuel cycle operation and the effects of nuclear accidents.

Disadvantages of nuclear energy. The effects nuclear energy have on the environment pose serious concerns that need to be considered especially before the decision to build additional nuclear power.