All energy has an environmental impact. All fossil fuels have carbon dioxide emissions when burned. Furthermore, all energies use land and water. The biggest area for improvement is the reduction of emissions. A successful future depends on protecting the environment while keeping energy available and affordable. Nuclear makes about 20% of the energy in the US, and it has 0 emissions. The fuel is plentiful and very powerful which makes its cost per kilowatt very low. Nuclear has potential environmental hazards, but the track so far has been mostly good. Despite the low cost of nuclear fuel, there is a large cost involved in building a nuclear plant. Although nuclear energy provides high amount of energy and has lower emissions, it has multiple risks and disadvantages. Nuclear radioactive waste cannot be stored or disposed safely. Today, nuclear waste is stored at the reactor, but we need a long term solution. It is possible for some new technologies to run on nuclear waste, however. Breeder reactors could produce less waste. Accidents and proliferation are at risk with nuclear energy despite the fact that nuclear energy is less deadly per kilowatt hour than all other sources.
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May 2017
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