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Should we extend the use of nuclear power?
Mar 16, 2011 02:11
  • KATRINA
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According to the latest report, a US nuclear expert warns that the nuclear radiation from the Fukushima power plant in Japan could spread across the Pacific Ocean and reach the United States if a complete melt-down occurs at the Fukushima power plant in Japan.

The Fukushima power plant crisis has aroused the world’s attention on nuclear power safety and security. On Mar.12, about 60000 people protested in Stuttgart and required to shut down all the nuclear power plants in Germany. Merkel announced on the same that Germany would check all nuclear power plants security. Three days later, eight nuclear power plants in Germany are said to shut down temporally.

In Asia, many nations are planning to construct nuclear power plants. According to the IAEA’s latest statistics, 56 nuclear power plants are being constructed in the world. 37 are in Asia and China is planning to build 21 nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power is defined as a clean energy source. A report says that the carbon dioxide emissions will increase 8% per year if all nuclear power plants in the world are shut down. In this respect, it is worth exploring and expending the use of nuclear power. However, it is also dangerous. The nuclear radiation is lethal.

In your opinion, should we use nuclear power?

PS: There are 57 nuclear power plants in Japan.
Mar 17, 2011 12:19
#1  
  • CARLOS
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"Three days later, eight nuclear power plants in Germany are said to shut down temporally."

Funny, isn't it? There are all kinds of specialists hired with big money to take care of the security of whatever. They all are just enjoying their salaries without giving anything back. No matter what the country is there always is a choir of politics and specialists singing the song that says the problems are somewhere else, not here, not in our country.
Then something happens in some other country and there is a demand for checking things in all other countries and oops...! how the hell this could happen...? We have problems!

Shutting down all np-plants is not an answer. There is no either easy or quick way to replace them. However, a long term plan should be done. The first step would be stopping all projects and then making a decision that no nuclear power will ever be built. Then make a schedule for closing all plants and to replace them with green energy.

I have always been against nuclear power. The consequences of someone sleeping at work in wrong time can be too massive.

Damn it, the russians flew to the moon using a "computer" which definitely would loose to my pocket calculator and all we can do to prevent the green house effect is to build more nuclear power plants?

Carlos
Mar 18, 2011 03:45
#2  
  • ATTA_BUTT
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As the world's population increases and there is continued comparison to the current western European, Japanese, and North American living standards, there is likely to be demand for more electrical power. Energy sources available in the world include coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, gas, wind, solar, refuse-based, and biomass. In addition, fusion had been originally proposed as the long-term source.

Every form of energy generation has advantages and disadvantages.

http://www.nucleartourist.com/basics/why.htm
Mar 18, 2011 14:57
#3  
  • CARLOS
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Mmm... AB, you could have a future as a politician here ;=)

Kidding...

Carlos
Mar 19, 2011 09:55
#4  
  • ATTA_BUTT
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Quote:

Originally Posted by CARLOS

Mmm... AB, you could have a future as a politician here ;=)

Kidding...

Carlos

Really, I am also thinking like that.
Mar 31, 2011 23:08
#5  
  • KATRINA
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Today I read that Japan planned to give up Fukushima nuclear power plant. Does this mean that they can do nothing about it? It is said that people who live around 30 kilometers to the nuclear power plant will be evacuated.

The US has sent CBIRF to Janpan, helping Japan solve nuclear crisis.

A demonstration was held in Tokyo. Due to this accident, many people think that nuclear power should be gotten rid of.

Nuclear power can benefit humans but it is lethal if we can not use it correctly. Not only Japan but also other countries are facing the energy shortfall. That's why many countries plan to build more nuclear power plants.
Apr 13, 2011 01:01
#6  
GUESTRWOLF Nuclear Reactor Risks

If Japan’s damaged nuclear reactors continue to leak radiation into the air and oceans, many exporting industries may be damaged by radiation contamination. For example fishing industries. How far will millions of gallons of radioactive water travel dumped from damaged Japanese reactors? Will Radioactive Fish migrate to other nation’s waters affecting other countries? One can foresee grocery store and seafood restaurant customers checking purchased seafood with a Geiger counter. If Japan’s damaged nuclear reactors continue leaking radiation into the air, could over a period of time that cause dangerous levels of radiation to be absorbed by U.S. farm crops and cattle, making U.S. farm products unmarketable; cause U.S. food shortages and high prices. Could several of Japan’s industrial products become too radioactive to export? So much for clean nuclear energy.

In the U.S. most nuclear reactors have to be subsidized by taxpayers. When nuclear reactors leak as shown in Japan, it can be hugely expensive; unaffordable when damaged reactors melt down spreading high levels of radiation. In the U.S. too many nuclear reactors are close to large U.S. populations; 500 miles may be too close when communities are downwind. In addition to catastrophic health costs, a leaking reactor can contaminate for decades and longer large geographic areas, destroying real estate values of entire cities, shutdown industries. The potential risks of operating or building more nuclear reactors in the U.S. can’t be justified considering their catastrophic downside. The U.S. has approximately 104 nuclear reactors. From a military standpoint, U.S. enemies would only need target several U.S. nuclear reactors to spread deadly radiation to large cities crippling America. Nuclear reactors are a losing bet.
May 18, 2011 14:48
#7  
GUEST74178 The amount of energy that can be derived from harnessing wind or water is about 15 order of magnitude less than what can be derived from uranium. Why haven't we heard about what happened in 1944 when a natural gas explosion in Cleveland an entire neighborhood and killed 130 people? And yet we still support natural gas because it fuels the lifestyle that we as the US have been accustomed. What about coal mining? Did you know that it killed 100,000 workers in the 20th century? And for all those tree huggers out there.... Six ounces of energy produced by that transformation will be enough to power a city the size of San Francisco for 5 years! No chopping down trees... No hazardous emissions in to the atmosphere. the amount of energy that can be derived from harnessing wind or water is about 15 orders of magnitude less than what can be derived from uranium
Hoover dam must back up a 250-square-mile reservoir (lake mead) in order to generate the same electricity produced by a reactor on one square mile.
Windmills require even more space! Since air is less dense than water. Replacing one of the 2 1,000-megawatt reactors at indian point in Westchester County, N.Y., would require lining the Hudson River from New York to Albany with 45-story windmills one-quater mile apart--and then they would generate electricity only about one-third of the time, when the wind is blowing. IF THE WIND IS BLOWING!




May 23, 2011 03:06
#8  
  • BBQQ
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I hate nuclear accidents but I have to admit that we need nuclear power plants. It is clean. We use it so we should prepare for the risk and try our best to keep the risk level at the lowerest level.
May 30, 2011 03:31
#9  
GUEST1672 Germany has announced that all nuclear power stations will be closed until 2022. why do some other nations keep building nuclear power stations?
Jun 1, 2011 23:01
#10  
GUEST4174
Quote:

Originally Posted by GUEST1672

Germany has announced that all nuclear power stations will be closed until 2022. why do some other nations keep building nuclear power stations?


Germany gives up nuclear power stations because people don't think it is safe. But Saudi Arabia plans to spend 100 billion US dollars to build 16 nuclear power stations to meet its energy needs.
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