Emissions of greenhouse gases that result from human activity have increased by 35 percent from 1990 to 2010. Carbon dioxide (CO2) which is caused by burning fossil fuels for energy, is currently the biggest contributor which accounts for about three-fourths of total emissions, has increased by 42 percent over that period of time. (epa.gov) CO2 accounts from between 60 to 90 percent of the mass of the fossil fuels burned and therefore is the principal product of fossil fuels worldwide. Not only CO2 but many other harmful pollutants are released from burning fossil fuels, one of which is carbon monoxide (CO). CO is known to be the more potent than CO2 when looking at all the other harms that fossil fuels can produce, for example when CO is combined with other elements it can form smog and acid rain. (sciencing.com)
The greenhouse gases are so harmful for the environment as they are capable of trapping heat in the earth’s atmosphere, through a process called the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is when the Sun and the energy radiates to the earth. Some solar radiation is reflected back into space and the rest is absorbed by the land and the oceans heating the Earth. Some of that radiates back to space, but some of the heat gets trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases and ensure the Earth to be warm enough to sustain life. However, the sudden and drastic increase in greenhouse gases due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels has caused extra heat to be trapped causing the earth’s temperature to rise. (environment.gov) This drastic increase in temperature has already had significant effects on our health, communities and earth. Effects of global warming and climate change that scientists have predicted in the past are now happening: sea level rise, intense heat waves, extreme precipitation events, coastal flooding, severe droughts, and loss of sea ice. Scientists are confident that global warming will continue to intensify and worsen in the future, largely due to the greenhouse gases produced by human activities. (NASA)
Furthermore, the increase of greenhouse gases can be linked to the never ending increasing demand of energy. The global demand for energy has increased by more than 2 per cent last year, which is more than twice the rate of growth in 2016 according to the global economic recovery. (ft.com) In the united states 801 million tons of coal (a fossil fuel) were consumed in the U.S. in 2015, most of it for the purpose of generating electricity. (sciencing.com) The worlds emissions mainly result from electricity generation, transportation and any further forms of energy production and use. Energy is needed for nearly everything nowadays, from items such as phones or cars to warming our homes and powering cities. It therefore is necessary to find alternatives to burning fossil fuels for energy to ensure a safe, habitable planet for all living organisms. Nuclear energy has been found to be a possible answer for an alternative energy source. (sciencing.com)
Currently 20 percent of electricity comes from nuclear energy and France generates over 70 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, the largest nuclear share of any country globally and its electricity sector emissions are only one-sixth of the European average. It is a source of clean energy as it does not produce any greenhouse emissions during the production. Over the course its life-cycle, nuclear produces about the same amount of CO2 equal to the emissions per unit of electricity as wind. (world-nuclear.org)
Nuclear energy is the energy in the nucleus of an atom. Atoms make up every object in the universe and there is an enormous energy in the bonds that hold them together. Due to the bonds of the atoms being so strong, once they get split apart to form smaller atoms (fission) they release a vast amount of energy. In the 1900’s century the study of atoms and their abilities was very popular and it was in 1939 that Hahn and Strassmann showed that fission, the process of splitting an atom, could not only release a lot of energy but it also released additional neutrons that could cause fission in a self-sustaining chain reaction leading to an enormous release of energy. (world-nuclear.org) Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. As mentioned above there is enormous energy present in the bonds of which the subatomic particles are held together by. By breaking such bond through nuclear fission the energy released in the form of hear and radiation that can be used to produce electricity. During nuclear fission a neutron is absorbed into a nucleus (typically uranium-235), making the uranium nucleus become uranium-236, which is very unstable. The entire nucleus then splits into two nuclei, known as ‘daughter nuclei’. As Hahn and Strassmann showed, more neutrons then explode from the fission reaction which then collide with other uranium nuclei to cause a chain reaction. The heat from the fission reaction is then used to drive the turbines that turn the generators to generate electricity. (bbc.com)
Nuclear energy does bring more advantages with it rather than just being a good producer for energy. Nuclear energy has a extremely low greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), nuclear energy produces more clean-air energy than any other source, making it to the most environmentally friendly when looking at the production of energy. (renewableresourcescoalition.org) Furthermore, nuclear energy has no negative impacts on the water and land in the territories in which nuclear power is used, except when being transported (emissions from the cars, trucks, trains). Additionally nuclear power has low operating costs. The uranium used in the nuclear fission is low and even though the expenses of setting up of nuclear power plants are rather expensive, the expense of running the plants is low. Moreover, nuclear reactors have a lifespan from 40-60 years, making it reliable. Nuclear energy can run no matter what the climate conditions are, as only the fuel (uranium) is needed making them more reliable than solar and wind energy. (conserve-energy-future.com)
However, nuclear energy does have disadvantages one of them being the immense amount of nuclear waste, a typical nuclear power plant generates about 20 metric tons of used nuclear fuel per year. This fuel is highly radioactive and can be dangerous for the environment around it. This means that this fuel has to be carefully handled and stored (very costly), requiring a big amount specifically designed storage space. However, this is something that has proven to work for the past decades. (renewableresourcescoalition.org) A further disadvantage is that the fuel, uranium is finite just like any other source of fuel. Furthermore, it is already rather rare and expensive to mine, refine and transport.
When looking at an economical viewpoint nuclear energy os rather stable. Nuclear energy is not affected by the fluctuating process of fossil fuels and in comparison to the cost of fossil fuels, nuclear energy is cheap generated energy. Operating costs include the cost of fuel and of operation and maintenance. (world-nuclear.org) “The nuclear energy industry plays an important role in job creation and economic growth, providing both near-term and lasting employment and economic benefits. The nearly 100 reactors in the United States generate substantial domestic economic value in electricity sales and revenue—$40 billion to $50 billion each year—with more than 100,000 workers contributing to that production.” (nei.org) However, the construction costs as mentioned earlier of a nuclear power plant are very high. According to a 2009 Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) cost estimates for new nuclear plant construction rose from $2 billion and $4 billion per unit to $9 billion per unit between 2002 and 2008. (ucsusa.org) Overall, there are advantages and disadvantages when looking at the economical aspects.
In conclusion the demand of electricity is growing and therefore the greenhouse gas emissions are increasing causing serious dangerous to the environment and therefore to us humans. It is evident that we as a world have to work against fighting climate change and global warming. Nuclear energy is a technology that can be very beneficial to achieve this goal, though it can also cause serious harm to the environment and to us humans. Overall nuclear energy doesn’t bring an economical problem, and should be seen as a viable alternative source for energy production. However, there are disadvantages and therefore nuclear energy should be further developed to maybe one day serve as the solution to our