The Road to Clean Energy is Paved with Nuclear Debris Since the dawn of nuclear power, mankind has been enjoying a relatively cheap and clean energy source that can be relied on as a steady alternative fuel source. Its benefits, though, can easily be outweighed by its detriments. No energy source compares in its potential life-threatening risks to that of nuclear energy. Such disasters may be overlooked due to their rarity and need in a rapidly-evolving society. However, at what point does the threat of millions of lives outweigh the possible boost gained because of the fuel source? Nuclear power contributes to about 6% of the world’s energy and around 13-14% of the global electricity (United States Department of Energy). Instead of
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Word getting out to citizens was sparse and announcements usually kept short. Though they had arrangements planned out in case of nuclear disaster, their original estimates for evacuation were underestimated to say the least. Originally a ten kilometer radius, the evacuation site was upgraded to a thirty kilometer zone about a week later (Meybatyan, 63). Further evacuation was started in June after ‘hot spots’ were found even more out (Meybatyan, 64). Due to the lack of promptness in the evacuation, the effects of a disaster that could have been mitigated were amplified many …show more content…
The positive aspects of it cannot be denied. Nuclear energy is clean and helps reduce the greenhouse effect that humans put into the atmosphere. A rather minor number of disasters seems to make the benefits far outweigh the consequences. On the other hand, no energy source can cause the devastation that nuclear energy is capable of. There needs to be a higher level of responsibility taken when dealing with such a dangerous entity. This may involve safer equipment, higher precautions taken when it comes to natural disasters, and perhaps an overestimation of risks to prevent any such damage from happening again. Nothing is perfect, but those in charge have the ability to create a much more stable and safe environment for nuclear power to thrive
Word getting out to citizens was sparse and announcements usually kept short. Though they had arrangements planned out in case of nuclear disaster, their original estimates for evacuation were underestimated to say the least. Originally a ten kilometer radius, the evacuation site was upgraded to a thirty kilometer zone about a week later (Meybatyan, 63). Further evacuation was started in June after ‘hot spots’ were found even more out (Meybatyan, 64). Due to the lack of promptness in the evacuation, the effects of a disaster that could have been mitigated were amplified many …show more content…
The positive aspects of it cannot be denied. Nuclear energy is clean and helps reduce the greenhouse effect that humans put into the atmosphere. A rather minor number of disasters seems to make the benefits far outweigh the consequences. On the other hand, no energy source can cause the devastation that nuclear energy is capable of. There needs to be a higher level of responsibility taken when dealing with such a dangerous entity. This may involve safer equipment, higher precautions taken when it comes to natural disasters, and perhaps an overestimation of risks to prevent any such damage from happening again. Nothing is perfect, but those in charge have the ability to create a much more stable and safe environment for nuclear power to thrive