Should Nuclear Power Be Banned?

Nuclear power is a power that using nuclear reactors to produce nuclear energy, and further develop into different kinds of energy such as electricity.  International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, 2013) reports that nuclear power is widely used in different categories such as in medicine and scientific development, and is aimed to make further development in order to let nuclear power becomes commonly used energy.  Discussion among researchers focus on whether nuclear power should be banned.    Scholars who support the ban indicates that it is harmful in many aspects and may bring catastrophic nuclear accidents similar to Chernobyl disaster and the recent Fukushima nuclear disaster.  For those who oppose the ban argues that nuclear power may be the main energy in future with long lasting time and reducing greenhouse gases emission. Although nuclear power may help in different ways, this essay holds the view that nuclear power should be banned in view of different aspects and stakeholders.

Concern of using environmental friendly power to generate energy should be made.  However, using nuclear power will damage the ecosystem.  The sea water used as a condenser will increase the sea temperature, marine organisms and algae will then hard to survive near the coastal area, hence food chain will be damaged.  Hoss et al. (1975) implied that fish near these area will be affected by the thermal discharge, metal, copper, and other toxic materials and hence reduce the survival rate.  Global warming will become more serious due to the thermal pollution of the power plants.  In case accident occurs, the damages to both environment and human beings are terrible.  Buesseler, Aoyama and Fukasawa (2011) indicate that with the sizeable concentrations of Cesium in sediments and biota near the nuclear power plants, they will remain there for at least 30 to 100 years.  This leads to environmental problem and even seriously to food safety.  With the destructive nature, nuclear power does not help human beings to prolong the life of the Earth but being shortened.

Cost is another factor that can indicate whether nuclear power should be used.  Cost of building a nuclear power plant is much higher than other plants using non-renewable energy such as coal and natural gas.  Harris (2013) concludes that by using the levelised cost for estimation, the capital cost of using nuclear power may over 160 pounds per mill watt hour, which is estimated to be kept on increasing.  Rabl and Rabl (2013) discuss that capital cost is not the only cost for determination, other costs like dealing with nuclear waste, pollutions, and long term influences after the accidents are also being concerned.  Since other non-renewable energy and renewable energy have less cost if a great period is used, it is discourage to use nuclear power plants.

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