Nuclear Energy and how we plan to implement these systems is one of the most pressing issues today. More specifically, Nuclear waste and exposure to Natural Disasters is one topic that needs to be addressed immediately. First, Nuclear power plants are extremely susceptible to any outside damage. Although, safety measures are in place, nothing is a guarantee. Although this resolution should aim towards the protection and regulation of nuclear plants, environmentally, the scope of the argument widens. Nuclear waste disposal is current, and could have dire effects on the world should any accidents occur.


     Nuclear reactors produce just under 20% of electricity in the US and is growing every year. There are close to 400 power reactors around the world. While Nuclear energy is generally clean in the sense that Co2 is barely emitted, the main problem is nuclear waste disposal. The current solution is moving it under water. This is a good shield, however, more effective methods can be met, since this method slows the expansion of nuclear energy tremendously. Some experts hypothesize that reprocessing the waste may be a possible method. In other words, re using the waste.


     This poses another question, do we need nuclear energy? There are benefits and downfalls to both perspectives. Radioactive accidents are one of the main reasons the this topic is controversial. Chernobyl in Ukraine had extremely devastating effects. Nearly 30,000 people died and close to 2.5 million people still face health tribulations due to this. Those who live near the plant face high risk. Furthermore, the more recent nuclear accident in Japan, Fukushima, due to natural disaster. Although the casualty rate was far lower than that of Chernobyl, the environmental impacts were devastating. Furthermore, this impacted the entire disposal of waste process negatively. We cannot afford to have environmental impacts to that degree today. In this case, the downfalls of nuclear energy outweigh the benefits.


     Overall, Nuclear Energy is more or less clean. CO2 emissions are far lower than other energy methods used today. However, based on historical events and radioactive waste, it could  pose an extremely dangerous threat for the future. This resolution should focus on three things: the regulations for nuclear plants with respects to natural disasters, effective methods for radioactive waste disposal, and finally the ethics of the use of nuclear energy overall.

Guiding Questions