ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE - Essay Example

Environmental Issues The modernization of the world has led mankind to an era of technology anddevelopments. Ever since the nineteenth century, the world has progressed at a fast pace with an increase in urbanization and there has been a rise in the world population as well. The requirement of energy has also increased with these changes. The quest for energy producing sources has also risen. The fossil fuel reserves of the world are depleting and this has called for the search of alternative sources.

Nuclear power is a form of energy source which is considered to be very beneficial but this form of power has its own drawbacks. The negative aspects of the nuclear power serve to be an environmental issue of concern. This is owing to the fact that the nuclear energy leads to harm the normal ecology of the world and it had the capacity to lay negative effects on the health of the people living in this world (Klapp et al 2007; Miller et al 2009). The utilization of nuclear power as a form of energy production was considered to be a major technological achievement.

The energy from this source can lead to the production of very high amounts of electricity and thus it can be very beneficial. But it has been analyzed that the construction of nuclear power plants requires the clearing of a large amount of land and it needs to be built away from the places of human occupancy owing to the release of toxic and radioactive substances from these plants which results in the contamination of the natural environment. Furthermore, the dumping of the nuclear waste also serves to be a very difficult problem as it serves to harm the environment owing to the negative effects of the radioactive material (Miller et al 2009; Swain 2007).

The best solution to reduce the amount of environmental loss that occurs due to the nuclear power plants is to construct these plants away from the places where people reside. Furthermore, methods for controlling the release of substances into the atmosphere should be devised. Proper and safe techniques for the disposal of the radioactive waste should also be found. The last solution to the issue is to search for alternative sources of energy which do not harm the environment (Klapp et al 2007; Miller et al 2009).

There should be proper regulations and measures to check for the issue of the impact of nuclear power on the environment as well as on humans. This is because the consequences of accidents from unchecked usage of nuclear energy may be very severe. Improper methods of dumping wastes from the nuclear power plants can result in the pollution of the soil and the persistence of the radioactive substance in the soil for many years. Furthermore, seepage into the water reservoirs can result in the loss of marine life as well as contamination of the water.

Nuclear energy accidents are also very catastrophic which can result due to improper checks and regulations. The Chernobyl Power Plant incident that occurred in Ukraine in the year 1986 is a very good example. It resulted in the release of radioactive substances in the environment and led to the loss of 56 lives along with the contamination of the air making the area a hazardous place to live for many years (Klapp et al 2007; Miller et al 2009; Swain 2007). The negative aspects of the usage of nuclear energy cannot be ignored.

They do not only harm the environment but can also prove to be very dangerous for human beings. Therefore, there should be proper regulations on the nuclear power stations accompanied with the search for alternative energy sources. Works Cited Top of Form Klapp, Jaime, Cota J. L. Cervantes, and Jose? F. Cha?vez-Alcala?. Towards a Cleaner Planet: Energy for the Future. Berlin: Springer, 2007.Print. Top of Form Top of Form Miller, G T, and Scott Spoolman. Sustaining the Earth: An Integrated Approach.

Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Swain, D. Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy. Associated Content. 2007. Web 13 Jun. 2011. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/302902/disadvantages_of_nuclear_energy.html?cat=15 Bottom of Form Bottom of Form