Nuclear Power - Is It As Green As They Say It Is?

Although nuclear power is efficient and responsible for about 25% of the world’s electricity production, it is flawed in many respects:

1 - Extremely Expensive To Install:

If you think it costs around $6 - 12 billion just to build one reactor, a lot of wasted tax dollars have been used to subsidize these big utility companies. Why not invest that money in other renewable energy such as wind farms or solar power?

2 - It actually increases green-house gases:

Once seen as the solution to global climate change, nuclear power is far from it. Everywhere along the nuclear chain - from the mining of uranium to its transportation to the construction of the power plant - greenhouse gases are emitted.

Furthermore, their construction takes too long to solve global warming. In fact, investing in nuclear power deprives other efforts - such as energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy - of further funding and development.

3 - The bi-product is radioactive waste:

From mining to milling, processing to enrichment, fuel fabrication to fuel irradiation in reactors, large amounts of harmful, long-lasting radioactive waste is produced. In addition to 20-30 tons of high-level radioactive waste per reactor per year, this includes so-called “low” level radioactive waste.

4 - A damaged reactor could lead to a catastrophe:

All nuclear plants are vulnerable to accidents or attacks. Nevertheless, if an accident did occur, the current evacuation plans are completely unrealistic. In addition, the Price-Anderson Act ensures the utility’s liability of an accident is limited to only $10.8 billion. This is absurd, considering a serious reactor accident could cause as much as $600 billion of damage. Once again, the balance would likely have to be paid by us, the taxpayers.

5 - Low-level radiation causes cancer:

Nuclear supporters are completely wrong in believing that radiation levels near reactors are “safe”. What they do not know is that these level are only “safe” for healthy, white men. Children, who are more prone to cancer from radiation, are not even considered.

The way utilities currently “store” nuclear waste is irresponsible. The have made assumptions instead of finding scientifically safe places to dispose of the waste. Just imagine how much worse the problem would get if more reactor were built. Additional waste would soon have to be incinerated or buried in landfills. Who knows how much water, soil and air pollution that would cause!

6 - Nuclear technology sets the stage for atomic weapons:

If you look back at Israel’s bombing of Syria’s suspected nuclear site in 2007, and America worried about Iran’s nuclear program, nuclear development brings about the threat of a nuclear attack. Just imagine how tensions would rise as more countries increase their nuclear deployment. Not to mention the fact that the more reactors there are, the easier it is for terrorists to get their hands on nuclear materials.

7 - There are cleaner alternatives:

There already so many better, cheaper, “greener’ ways to produce electricity today, that we are surprised nuclear power is still invested in so heavily. Why not spend those billions of dollars building more wind farms and solar power stations instead, and invest more in the technological advancement of these renewable energies?

But while we wait, it is possible to start harnessing renewable energy at home. What’s more is, it does not cost very much and is rather simple to implement. Various solar and wind power guides have already become available, which you can see in our reviews section.