If the production of nuclear power wasn’t so hazardous, then yes, it would be a very compelling source of energy for humanity today, and well into the future.
However, there are (at least) three main areas of concern here:
- Nuclear fuel mining & transport — digging up and transporting the radioactive isotopes: Uranium-233, Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 is not without danger. These are highly potent carcinogens that can do severe damage if they come into contact with (or even close proximity to) human and other animal life.
- Spent fuel storage and half life — perhaps the most significant long-term risk is the transport and storage of the spent fuel rods used in fission reactors. These materials will continue to be hazardous for hundreds, or even thousands of years, and so must be buried deep within the Earth’s crust to be sufficiently far away from all animal life. Historically, we have not done a very good job with this.
- Reactor meltdown — while not hazardous for much of the time between events, when we do have a reactor meltdown: 3-Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukishima, the resulting injury to human and other animal life is significant and widespread.
In the final analysis, why take all this risk? Why not just harness the energy from the free giant nuclear reactor in the sky ?
