Nuclear Energy in the Future

Since it's discovery, nuclear energy has been a hot-button issue all over the world. There has been much controversy about its' development in third world and Middle Eastern countries (i.e. Iran). Aside from the political hooplah behind nuclear energy, there are environmental benefits and setbacks caused by nuclear energy. As discussed yesterday in class, the disposal of the fuel rods is of main concern. As of now, the rods are allowed to decay in what are called "spent fuel pools" which are pools of water. These rods can be submerged for up to 20 years and then are encased and stored deep underground to prevent penetration to the earth's surface which could cause harm to humans.

But after years of no new construction of nuclear facilities, the Obama administration and the US Energy Department recently approved financing - 6.5 billion dollars - for 2 new nuclear plants to be built in Georgia. This comes after years of the Obama administration saying that it would support the development and spreading of alternative energy throughout the country. The benefit of nuclear energy in particular is it's virtually non-existent CO2 emissions.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/02/21/energy-dept-backs-new-nuke-plants-but-nuclear-future-still-decades-away

The world is in need of better alternatives to fossil fuels, especially in our day and age when developing countries such as India and China are greatly increasing their use of fossil fuels, particularly coal. Though the complete switch to nuclear energy may seem unlikely, it is a great bridge that could help keep the world moving in an environmentally friendly way until more long-term energy sources can be developed. However, the economics and more importantly, the waste disposal, of these plants make many people hesitant to continue funding for nuclear energy. After the melt down in Fukushima, there were people who were demanding the shut down of power plants here in the States. In order to ensure  the advancement and sustainment of the human race through long-term energy sources, the ones we use as temporary solutions, most likely nuclear energy, need to be able to stand up to environmental disasters and extreme weather conditions, all of which are caused by the increase of greenhouse gases that perpetuate climate change - something that can be prevented through the development of alternative fuel sources such as nuclear energy.