I've recently heard that there is going to be a televised debate on nuclear power. I thought it was an intriguing subject, so I decided to do a little research prior to the event. What I realized was rather surprising (to me at least). I actually think that nuclear power is not such a devilish tool after all. Note that I am fully aware of the disasters that happened in the far and recent past, and I am not biasing. I'm just wondering what is worse: a few cases of tragedies led mostly by human error (design and material usage fallacy - Cernobyl; wrongly positioned power plants - Fukushima Daiichi) or a slow but sure and irreversible decay of the whole planet (greenhouse effect)?
First off, let's take a look at one of the fuels that is used in the nuclear industry: uranium. Uranium is a common element in the Earth's crust, almost as common as tin, 40 times more common than silver (so there's plenty of it); it's estimated to worth 130 USD/kg, so not only does it provide a fuel resource, but also contributes to the economy. Also, it is said that uranium prices have remained steady for decades, meaning nuclear energy is more secure than fossil fuels can be.
Radioactive wastes: they comprise less than 1% of the total toxic wastes in the countries with nuclear power. The nuclear power plants produce far less waste material by volume than fossil fuel based power plants (like coal burning plants) - the dose of radiation generated by coal plants is 100 times as much as the one from nuclear plants.
Reprocessing can recover up to 95% of the remaining uranium and plutonium in spent nuclear fuel - so highly reusable - and causes reduction in radioactivity by over 90%. Question: Why did the Obama administration disallow the reprocessing of nuclear waste, "citing nuclear proliferation concerns"? After all, the US is one of the top 3 producers of nuclear energy. Basically, they are kicking away the only good aspect of nuclear power, stating they wish for the best ?!
CO2, the main greenhouse gas released from human activities is closest to 0% when it comes to emissions from nuclear reactors.
It is also stated that modern reactors are inherently far safer than those built 20 or 30 years ago.
In a world where supplies of cheap domestic gas are running low, oil prices have risen dramatically, and we keep coughing more by the day, should we start considering nuclear power more as a hope, rather than a source of destruction?
