Nuclear energy is used to produce electricity, without using up the world’s natural sources of energy like fossil fuels. But it looks like that the nuclear energy is doing more harm than good. Here are five reasons why nuclear energy will destroy our planet.
1. Nuclear energy will not be able to fulfill the needs of electricity. Nuclear power is expensive, and it ‘s hard to get rid of the waste produced. Countries who are depending on nuclear energy are not thinking of any alternative means of generating electricity. So, eventually, they will be using up their money on nuclear plant production without any fruitful result.
2. Nuclear power station uses up many resources. It needs many rare metals in the construction. So, if we continue constructing nuclear power plants, there will soon be depletion of these precious metals, and it will affect the environment.
3. About 20.5 km2 of land is required to construct one nuclear plant. The nuclear power station, enrichment plant, exclusion zone, ore processing, etc. must be accommodated in this space. The nuclear reactors also need to be located away from population zones. 15,000 such locations are required to fulfill the requirements of nuclear energy. This is difficult to find.
4. Nuclear power station must e decommissioned after 40 to 50 years of operation. This is because cracks develop on the metal surfaces because of radiation. If you need to replace nuclear stations every 50 years, then every day one nuclear plant must be built. It takes 6 to 12 years to develop a nuclear station and 20 years to decommision one station. So, the rate of replacing nuclear plant is unrealistic.
5. There are chances of accidents due to the construction of nuclear power plants. So, far 11 nuclear accidents have taken place. These accidents cannot be stopped even with the improved safety technology. If we can build 15, 000 reactors, then we can expect a major accident in some part of the world every month.
With the cost, resource requirements and complexity over nuclear power, it is better to invest our money elsewhere. It’s time we start searching for alternatives.
