Nuclear power…Is it an option for Australia?Yes, nuclear power is an alternative to fossil fuels, but is- she sure? No, I don't think so. Nuclear power is a danger to the environment and everything in it and this report will detail the pros and cons of this risky alternative and examine other possibilities for meeting our daily energy needs. It might help you understand my point of view if you know how nuclear power works. There is a large amount of energy in the nucleus of the atom. This is where nuclear energy comes from. The fuel used by nuclear power plants for nuclear fission is uranium. Uranium is not renewable. Uranium, U-235, is used because its atoms can be easily split. Once uranium is mined, U-235 must be mined and processed before it can be used. During nuclear fission, a particle called a neutron strikes the uranium atom and splits it, releasing an immense amount of energy in the form of heat and radiation. More neutrons are released and these neutrons bombard other uranium atoms, and the process repeats. This is called a chain reaction. Fission generates heat in a reactor, then the heat boils water into steam. The steam spins huge turbine blades, and as they spin, they drive generators that produce electricity. Then the steam is converted back to water and cooled in a cooling tower. The water can be used again and again. (This water consumption is also a concern). After all this and uranium can no longer be used, what do we do with it? Throw it in a nearby river? Or maybe bury it underground, where no one knows it's there? “The issue of safe disposal of radioactive waste and obsolete power plants has not been resolved,” [1] says environmentalist David Suzuki. Jeremy Rifkin agrees. “Sixty years later… middle of paper…… we would have nothing else to do. There are too many variables in the case. Nuclear power plants can be controlled like the Three Mile Island power plant, but there is also the case of Chernobyl. So, because of the possible dangers of nuclear electricity, I am against it. But ultimately, do we want to benefit from hurting innocent people who haven't even been born yet? Think about it. Works located on: “If Planet Earth Could Vote”. An article by David Suzuki “Going Nuclear-A Green Makes the Case”. By Patrick Moore, Washington Post, Sunday April 16, 2006. “More threat than panacea.” By Jeremy Rifkin, The Age-October 4, 2006. “Nuclear power has a proven track record of safety and security.” Michael Angwin, The Age, October 17, 2006. http://www.naturaledgeproject.net/TheGreatSustainabilityDebates-NuclearPower.aspxhttp://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/nuclear.html