• Question: what are your views on nuclear power ?

    Asked by lethallee to Laura, Matthew, Andrew on 20 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Matthew Camilleri

      Matthew Camilleri answered on 20 Nov 2014:


      Nuclear power is a good option for the short term solution for our energy problem, but we do not have enough nuclear fuel to power the whole world for more then a few years.

      Countries like franc have been cutting on their CO2 emissions sing nuclear power, but are now using other sustainable source in order to ensure their long term energy assurances.

      Nuclear power has a bad connotation because of the possible nuclear waste, but that can easily be buried underground and it will lose all possible radiation in a few years without effecting anything else.

    • Photo: Laura Schofield

      Laura Schofield answered on 20 Nov 2014:


      Nuclear power has had a bad reputation because if it goes wrong, it goes hideously wrong (google Chernobyl). I think it is useful for helping us to rely less on fossil fuels while we develop other methods of renewable energy like wind, solar, geothermal powers etc but I wouldn’t want us to rely solely on that! As Matthew said, we don’t have enough nuclear fuel to last forever so would soon reach the same problem as we now have with fossil fuels running out!

    • Photo: Andrew McKinley

      Andrew McKinley answered on 20 Nov 2014:


      Nuclear power is a vital stop-gap in our quest for sustainable energy. It isn’t in itself renewable, but it is – for the most part – slightly less polluting than conventional coal or gas fired power. (the power plants themselves are cleaner, but you have to process and refine the uranium before use).
      The problem is the nuclear waste is horrendous, and it is frequently more dangerous than the uranium nuclear fuel.

      (Side note: the uranium nucleus is unstable, so it splits and releases energy. This creates Thorium and a helium nucleus. The thorium then decays to protactinium… and the chain goes on. Many of hte decay products are far more radioactive than the uranium, but the radioactivity cannot be harnessed for energy production)

      However – nuclear power cannot replace fossil fuels – it only helps to buy us some time and creates a vital bridge until our renewable technologies are sufficient to provide the energy we need.

      It’s not brilliant, but it is what we have to provide us the energy…

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