That is precisely what has occurred in Iran to date (Ajami, 2008; Larsen, 2007). However, the danger posed by continued Western reliance on OPEC oil in the form of financing that ultimately funds anti-western terrorism may be even more significant.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the principal question raised is not whether or not nuclear energy is safe and economical and beneficial to the atmosphere; it is whether nuclear energy is comparable to or preferable to fossil fuel energy sources and whether the full spectrum of their respective potential negative consequences are similar. Given all the likely considerations,
Allison, G. (2004). Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe. New York: Henry Holt
Attfield, R. (2003). Environmental Ethics: An Overview for the Twenty-First Century.
Cambridge, UK: Polity.
Larsen, R. (2007). Our Own Worst Enemy: Asking the Right Questions About
Security to Protect You, Your Family, and America. New York: Grand Central
Publishing.
Poiman, L.P. And Poiman, P. (2007). Environmental Ethics: Readings in Theory and Application. Florence, KY: Wadsworth-Cengage.
Rennie, R. (2003). The Facts on File…
By regulation, the design of the nuclear reactor must include stipulations for human operator error and equipment failure. Nuclear Plants in the western world use a Defense in Depth idea which is a system with numerous safety components, each with back-up and design to accommodate human error. The components include: "Control of Radioactivity - This requires being able to control the neutron flux. If the neutron flux is decreased the radioactivity
Black (2005) notes that within the next decade Great Britain will be unable to meet the energy needs of its population unless nuclear power becomes part of the equation. A dependence on fossil fuel sources for electricity is no longer viable, given the limited supply of fossil fuel, the volatile market for it, and the environmental concerns associated with creating and burning fossil fuels. Nuclear power is touted as
This can merely be helpful on local level but not at all on the global level. Radioactive materials in low quantities are present in fossil fuels, chiefly in coal and using them in heavy amounts can have more hazardous effects on the environment causing radioactive contamination globally. This is a much more pressing concern when compared to the radioactive contamination within a nuclear power station as the noxious waste in
Nuclear Power as a Promising Alternative Fuel for the Future The Nuclear Dilemma (World Nuclear Association) There are a plethora of reasons in which alternative fuels are becoming increasingly desirable as potential power source for everyday consumption in the future. One such reason is that fossil fuels are non-renewable resources that will eventually be exhausted in regards to the feasibility of extracting these resources. It is not necessarily that non-renewable resources will
. . political and law enforcement cronyism and corruption. . . And last, an surprising astonishing level of incompetence which symbolizes much of the authorized intelligence- meeting and investigative developments (Block, 1985, p.310). This lack of enforcement taking part in helping with the waste especially after a natural disaster such as a tornado will possibly allow such practices as illegal dumping to last unchecked. "The ideal answer to hazardous waste problems
6. What caused the Chernobyl incidents? At Chernobyl, poor reactor design and human error caused uncontrolled heating of the nuclear core that boiled off enough cooling water to allow the graphite moderator control rods to be exposed to air igniting them. That ignition spread to the radioactive rods and caused large volumes of radioactive smoke to be released into the atmosphere. 7. What is the cause of the Japan incident? In Japan, a
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now