Nuclear Energy

The Earth has limited supplies of certain resources such as, coal and oil. However, nuclear power plants could still produce electricity after coal and oil become insufficient. Also, these nuclear power plants require less fuel than ones that burn fossil fuels. One ton of uranium generates more energy than what is produced by quite a few million tons of coal or several million barrels of oil. Coal and oil burning plants pollute the air around us; conversely, well-operated nuclear power plants do not discharge pollutants into the environment, making it enhanced and safer.

There are many disadvantages of nuclear energy. Many countries have enough nuclear bombs to eliminate everyone on this earth. Russia and the United States, being the most power have about 50,000 nuclear weapons between them. Nuclear explosions produce radiation, which harms the cells of the body. Also, illness can hit people years after their exposure to nuclear radiation. In a meltdown, the fission reaction goes out of control, thus creating a nuclear explosion and the release of massive radiation. In 1979, the cooling system failed near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at Three Mile Island nuclear reactor. Radiation leaked, which forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. However, the problem was solved just before a total meltdown would have taken place. In 1986, a more serious disaster occurred in Russia's Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Lots of radiation escaped from the reactor, being exposed to hundreds of thousands of people, killing some within a few days, and killing thousands more due to cancers caused by the radiation. Also, nuclear reactors have waste disposal problems, which produce nuclear waste products that release dangerous radiation. Due to the fact that they could kill people who touch them, they cannot be disposed like usual garbage. At this time, many nuclear wastes are kept in special cooling pools at the nuclear reactors. The United States plans to move its nuclear waste to a remote underground dump by the year 2010. In 1957, at a dump site in Russia's Ural Mountains, buried nuclear wastes strangely exploded, killing a lot of people. Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years.

http://www.nei.org/scienceclub/4yourclassproject/4ycp_hownucenergyworks.html

http://www.nvnpp.vrn.ru/en/about/advantages.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/3471/nuclear_energy.html