The debate on nuclear power is subject to a decision that someone must take based on whether nuclear power hurts more than it helps or helps more than it hurts. Personally, both sides of the nuclear power debate have value and reason but this dispute cannot go on forever. In 1938, Enrico Fermi discovered nuclear fission, in 1945 the first atomic bomb was created, tested and used, and years after those we have developed more ways to use our understanding of nuclear science. Since Canada is a leader in nuclear power and there is a huge global concern about climate change I’m going to explain what I believe the best solution is and ultimately why I am Anti-Nuclear.

From what I understand I know that nuclear power is very efficient, it can work all year/time round unlike solar and wind power. The waste produced is very little, its actually only 2-3% of waste versus 97-98% of energy. It is an investment because of its high efficiency, so it starts out very expensive then overtime is actually really affordable considering how much energy you produce over one use. It even slightly reduced CO2 emmisions helping lessen green house gas emmissions. The plutonium used in the reactor can even be recycled into a very valuable fuel.

These are all the amazing qualities of nuclear power, however, plutonium can still be reused to make nuclear weapons. The uranium isotopes produced in waste are radioactive and cannot be reused in any productive manner. The radioactivity is a threat to our environment that can harm it harshly at any moment as accidents do occur in nuclear power plants. When these accidents do occur it not only leaves an area inhabitable but it harms many human beings and animals with cancer and other radiation caused mutations. The uranium that needs to be mined for all the energy that is produced is a dangerous task that must be accomplished by frail human lives.

Over the years there have been only 43 direct deaths from nuclear power plants versus 3000 deaths due to fossil fuel however, this doesn’t include the thousands impaired from nuclear power plant accidents. These plants have many diligent engineers and scientists however they are all still humans who make mistakes and when they do there is a huge unpredictability that can destroy the rest of the world if we took on nuclear power as our main source of energy.

So what should we do? It seems as if nuclear power has good qualities but the unpredictability is threatening. I believe we need more data, more research, more education, more information available to the world. Until then we need to isolate everyone who could be affected by the power plants to only those who are willing to risk their lives for this cause. If someday it becomes something very safe or is developed into another kind of energy I would be open to pro-nuclear, until then I believe that human life and predictability are much more valuable than energy is.