Nuclear Energy against Climate Change
Global climate change is a highly significant issue nowadays. The global warming is caused by the high level of CO2, which is released into the atmosphere of the Earth from the fossil fuels. Therefore, in order to reduce the level of CO2, the usage of fossil fuels as a source of energy should be minimized. The solution to the global climate change can be found in the nuclear energy, due to the fact that it is a stable and secure source of electricity.
Wind energy, solar energy, and other kinds of environmental energy are safe for the environment and can be a partial solution to the global warming. Even though, it is not possible to collect and stock the required amount of energy from these sources for satisfying the energy needs of the whole planet. The solution to the global climate change can be found in the nuclear power, due to the fact that it is a reliable source of energy, which is safe for the environment.
More than thirty countries from all over the world have nuclear plants. In general, there are more that 400 power plants around the globe. In the United States, nuclear energy supplies almost one-fifth of the required electricity. Even though, a power plant requires more funds for its construction than other energy facilities, it can serve for the period of 60 years. In addition, the price for energy, which it produces, is stable and predictable. Its waste can be disposed or stored in the special facilities. The nuclear energy also helps regulate the cost of the natural gas. The power plants, which produce nuclear energy, have the lowest levels of the CO2 emissions.
Nuclear energy should be among the steps, which aim at stopping the global warming. However, there have been three severe accidents on the power plants, such as Fukushima accident, Chernobyl accident, and the Three Mile Island accident. The radiation from these explosions was xtremely dangerous. Therefore, since those explosions, the plants are being constantly improved in order to increase their safety and minimize the risks.
One of the main benefits of the nuclear energy, besides being low-carbon, is that it can be produced in the huge quantities. The more power plants there will be, the more nuclear energy they will be able to produce. The availability to produce the nuclear energy in the required amounts is an important characteristic of this type of energy, in the world, were the need for this resource rises with each day.
In 2050, the needs for energy of the world will be doubled. It means that if, in the 2050, the fossil fuels are still the main source of energy, the pollution will have also doubled by that time. Therefore, energy must come from the source, which contains the low level of carbon, such as wind, sun, bio-fuel, or nuclear energy. In addition, bio-fuels are dependent on the material, which come from the plants. Consequently, the mix of all these sources of energy can be a proper solution to the global climate change.
There are some debates on that nuclear energy is a dangerous source, due to the risk of explosion of the power plant. However, if nuclear energy can help stop or slow down the global warming, it should be used at least as a partial solution to the problem, due to a fact that it is the energy from the low-carbon source. It addition, it is the cleanest available source of electricity. In 2012, the power plants in the United States produced more than 60 percent of the country’s energy, which does not emit carbon. It means that the usage of this energy instead of the energy received from the fossil fuels prevented the emission of more than 500 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere of the Earth. In addition, the usage of nuclear energy instead of the energy received from fossil fuels eenables people to reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide, the emissions of which are the sources of urban smog and acid rains .
It is highly important to appreciate the low-carbon quality of nuclear energy, and to maintain and develop the existing power plants in order to reduce the CO2 emissions and to have safe and eco-friendly energy. Nuclear energy can become a crucial source of renewable energy, due to the usage of the breeder reactors at the power plants, because they will allow replacing the used fissile elements. It is also highly important that the nuclear power is sustainable, because it can be supported by the natural resources. In the nearest future, the power plants will serve only for thirty years, instead of 40-60. This innovation will be made to ensure that the plants will remain modern and safe. In addition, the technologies to protect the power plants from the natural disasters, such as an earthquake, are being gradually improved. The role, which nuclear power will perform in the future against the global climate change, depends primarily on the safety of its production and on the innovations in the waste storage technologies .
To conclude, the global warming is a serious problem for the contemporary society. The global climate change is caused by the emissions of the CO2 from the fossil fuels. Therefore, fossil fuels cannot be used as the main source of energy, due to the need to reduce the levels of CO2. With each year, the world requires more energy to satisfy its needs, than wind, solar, and other kinds of environmental energy can provide. Nuclear power is a reliable, low-carbon source of clean energy. Nuclear energy plays a significant role against climate change. The power plants will become even more safe and stable in the nearest future, due to the fact that reactors are being constantly developed and improved.