Nuclear Energy and the Environment - Article Example

?Nuclear Energy and the Environment INTRODUCTION Energy has emerged as an essential component for meeting the basic needs for stimulating and supporting economic growth and development, apart from being a necessity in modern human society. Statistical data in this context revealed that the average energy consumption in the world has increased to 50% within last decade. Accordingly, the constantly increasing global demand for energy is estimated to double in next 30 years. In early decades, fossil fuel and hydro power have been the primary sources for meeting the global energy requirements. However, in the recent times, nuclear energy has emerged as a potential option to substantiate the growing demand for energy along with the reducing quantity of natural energy sources. Today, nuclear energy is also used commercially to meet the fraction necessity of electricity energy demanded. This energy is produced through chemical reactions, where neutrons from uranium atoms collide with each other to release nuclear energy. Correspondingly, the environmental effects imposed when producing nuclear energy has become a majorly debated topic in the recent era. The primary concern related with the nuclear energy has been the negative effects of radiation and water pollution at elevated temperature during the nuclear energy production. The radiation caused from the nuclear fission and release of water at high temperature impacts the environment. This fact has been subject to large criticism in the recent times1. THESIS STATEMENT The primary purpose of the paper is to examine the implications of nuclear energy on environment. This paper will critically analyze the impacts of nuclear energy on environment, which has in the recent days emerged as a global issue. To obtain a region specific understanding of the issue, this paper will focus on the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, located in California in the USA. NUCLEAR ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT AS A GLOBAL ISSUE It is worth mentioning that the government of the US, both at Federal and State levels, has formulated and implemented few regulations in order to protect environment from the lethal consequences of nuclear energy production. The US had 104 commercial nuclear reactors located in different regions of the country, which supplies nearly 20% of its total electricity requirements. However, it cannot be denied that the radioactive emissions released during the process of nuclear energy production are indeed life-threatening, accompanied with water pollution and air pollution, often accounted for causing early aging and cancer like diseases. It other words, radioactive emissions seriously disrupt the overall balance of eco-system2. The threat associated with the nuclear fission reaction, in terms of radioactive emissions has not been limited to the US only, but has emerged as a serious problem across the globe. The recent incidents in Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that occurred in March 2011, owing to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, have extensively raised questions regarding the environment safety of nuclear plants. This particular occurrence in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has underscored many of the safety arguments advocated against establishing a nuclear plant3. It can be number of incidents where environment and lives of human beings were under severe threat due to the nuclear disaster, before the accident of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant occurred. The US has also witnessed nuclear disaster over the last decades. Accordingly, it has been ascertained that the nuclear power plant have laid significant impacts on the nearby areas in the form of water pollution, air pollution and radioactive waste generation4. DIABLO CANYON POWER PLANT IN CALIFORNIA AND ENVIRONMENT Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) is a nuclear power plant located at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo region of California in USA. This plant generates nuclear energy to meet the electricity demand for millions of customers. DCPP supplies nearly 9.3% of California’s electricity requirements. This plant produces more than 18,566 megawatts of electricity per hour. Furthermore, this plant is considered to be an important contributor to State and national economy. It also provides employment to thousands of employees and pays significant amount of tax revenues to the government5. Despite the economic benefits, it cannot be denied that the operations of DCPP impose significant threat to marine inhabitants and the environment on the whole. It is worth mentioning that power plant uses more water than any other industry in the US, consuming more than 200 billion gallons of water every day. This water is used for the cooling process in the nuclear power plant during the course of energy production6. This is then discharged at high temperature in the Pacific Ocean in order to condense the stream in the process known as “once-through cooling”, which further affects the marine life7. Scientific examinations have revealed that the power plant has killed millions of fishes and other aquatic creatures thereby disrupting the wildlife population in the surrounding areas. As a consequence of such impacts, many marine lives have become extinct, while some species have become endangered. Additionally, not only the marine life but other the biological circle on the land has also been affected severely owing to the pollution caused due to the nuclear plant. The water released at high temperature from DCPP plant has also imposed the threat associated with contamination of food and other agricultural product, which have indirectly imposed threat for human beings as well. Additionally, the threat of radiological release has always been inherited with the operation of any nuclear power plant. The effect of radiological release is also fatal for human beings and may cause life-threatening diseases such as cancer and early ageing among others. Furthermore, the impact of radiation on climate is more drastic accompanied with polluted air and rising temperature. Another serious impact can be associated with radioactive waste disposal8. CONCLUSION Energy is an essential requirement for nations to attain economic growth and prosperity. Over the years, the need for energy has augmented significantly. In order to meet the rising demand for energy, nuclear energy has emerged as a prominent source for human beings. However, the process involved in the production of nuclear energy possesses many ill-effects, which have significantly destabilized the ecosystem in the surrounding areas of the plants. Correspondingly, the recent nuclear accidents have created a global concern regarding nuclear energy. The case illustration of DCPP delivers a clear understanding of the impacts caused by nuclear energy on the marine life and the biological circles on land, majorly through the radiation caused. Works Cited “Diablo Canyon Power Plant Once-through cooling”. Fact Sheet. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, (2013). Web. 26 Aug. 2013. El-Hinnawi, Essam E. “Review of the Environmental Impact of Nuclear Energy”. IAEA Bulletin 20.2 (n.d.): 32-42. Print. Henderson, Peter A., Richard M. H. Seaby, Reed Super, Alexandra Hankovszky, Dalal Aboulhosn, Holly Bressett, Oliver Bernstein, Rebecca Troutman, Steve Fleischli and Diane Dempsey Murray. "Giant Fish Blenders: How Power Plants Kill Fish & Damage Our Waterways." Sierra Club (2011): 1-28. Print. Holt, Mark, Richard J. Campbell and Mary Beth Nikitin. "Fukushima Nuclear Disaster." Congressional Research Service (2012): 1-12. Print. Mayeda, Patrick and Kenneth Riener. Economic Benefits of Diablo Canyon Power Plant. Productive Impact LLC (2013). Print. Monterey, Kern, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. "Nuclear Power Plant Emergency Information for Agriculture." Facts And Instructions You Should Know In Case of an Emergency at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant (2012): 1-16. Print. “Nuclear Energy”. Clean Energy. US Environmental Protection Agency, 2013. Web. 26 Aug. 2013. Sayg?n, Hasan. “Major Nuclear Accidents and Their Implications for the Evolution of Nuclear Power”. The Turkish Model for Transition to Nuclear Power (2013): 53-81. Print. Read More