Should Nuclear Power Be Given Up or Not?

by Alex Zhao

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/31/sellafield-radiation-alarm-radon-gas-nuclear-reprocessing#start-of-comments

According to Adam Vaughan, Leila Haddou and Rob Edwards, journalists of the Guardian, there is a serious potential nuclear crisis is brewing in Sellafield nuclear power station, a British nuclear facility which is known by its leakage accident between 1955 and 1979. Radon gas content in the air of that area was detected by a rise which indicated that a leakage might be happening in Sellafield. The site employees were told not to go to work, but the causes of increased radon concentration have still not been ascertained.

It is no doubt that energy is the backbone of the whole human society. Without the support of energy, we would still have been in the agricultural society. However, energy shortage has become one of the most worrisome problem which lying ahead on the development path of humanity.

If being asked the future of human's energy, many people might immediately think about nuclear power, the love-hate technology, which used to be a life-saving straw of scientific community. It possesses excellent efficiency of energy generation, low-cost, no pollution to the environment, when it runs properly, and other advantages, and claimed by many insiders to be low risk if they are managed strictly. Therefore, it is so frustrated to see such a highly expected technology being such a bind. 

It is hard to envision how vigorous the nuclear power would have developed if there had been no such accidents happened. Even after all accidents, our scientists and governments has yet to give up hope that the nuclear power would be able to be completely safe.This contradiction just shows how helpless is people facing the energy shortage.

I'm also the one who holds a positive attitude toward nuclear technology. In my opinion, the nuclear power is the only effective alternative power humanity could depend on under the current science. We should not rashly give it up.

Traditional fossil fuels have been numbered for almost one century. Although, new reserves are claimed to be found every year. There is no scientist would question the fact that fossil fuels could no longer support human society for another 100 years.


Hydraulic electric power, also, has fell into disfavor for many years. The huge environmental crises which are caused by hydroelectric, such as climatic anomaly and ecocide, have been becoming problem for the countries which have built hydroelectric power facilities.


Of course, scientists are trying their best to provide alternative powers for us. We have solar power generation, wind power generation and many emerging fossil fuels, like shale gas and methane clathrates. But unfortunately, none of these is proved to be promising.

As I see, the problem of nuclear technology is actually mankind ourselves. There is no prominent inextricable technological problem about nuclear electricity generation. In face, all the accidents we met were caused by people's neglects, and could be prevented if their operations staffs were not that confident or negligent. Chernobyl incident was caused by the arrogant and innocent administrator. Fukushima accident was caused by natural disaster. Kyshtym explosion accident was also caused by the negligence of the managers. If people could be more accountability and circumspect, I'm sure nuclear energy could show us a bright future.

But the question is: could we?