The Green Room: What happens when you put two energy experts in a room and ask them to get to the bottom of nuclear power. We take you through all the big questions of nuclear power. Doesn’t nuclear waste harm the environment? Isn’t nuclear power expensive? Aren’t nuclear plants dangerous? GreenAge, are you crazy?! We’re discussing it all.
HOW DOES NUCLEAR POWER WORK?
Nuclear power is complicated because it creates energy at the atomic level, and there are several different types of nuclear reactor. In laymans terms, we split atoms to create heat, which we use to boil water, which creates steam, that we use to turn turbines, and create electricity.
WHAT ARE THE DEBATES AROUND NUCLEAR POWER?
The safety of using nuclear power and the dangers if something were to go wrong. We look at the tragedies of Chernobyl and Fukushima and compare them to the loss of life associated with other energy sources.
The environmental impact of nuclear power is another hotly debated topic, so we go through the lifecycle of the nuclear reactor. Our third big talking point for nuclear power is all about the dangers of nuclear reactors in the wrong hands.
The threat of terrorism is a huge deterrent against nuclear power for many people, as is the danger that the use of nuclear energy may lead to many more nuclear weapons. We talk through why this may not necessarily be true.
- The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation: Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation
- World Health Organisation: Air Pollution
- Michael Shellenberger: Why I changed my mind about nuclear power
- David MacKay: A reality check on renewables
- 10 Reasons to Oppose Nuclear Energy
- The unpalatable truth is that the anti-nuclear lobby has misled us all
Think we missed something? Do you have a different opinion?
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