Pro and Against

Female Nerd

Nuclear power is a very clean source of energy and none of our other energy sources are at present time as clean and efficient. Environmen­talists cry out, "Nuclear power plants are a hazard to our environment!" I cannot deny that this is true and this is the reason why I am partly against nuclear power. There is always the risk of leaks, explosions and so forth but I think the risk is small enough for us to consider taking it.

It seems that the horror story of Chernobyl still haunts our minds whenever this topic is brought up. And it was a terribly tragic accident that destroyed the life of not only the people near it but the lives of the whole world's population generations ahead. This must not hap­pen again. But if we take precautions, build the power plants in a place without risk of earthquakes and most importantly make sure it is prop­erly funded we can narrow the risk down to almost nothing.

Almost is the magic word in this case. There is no way we can be absolutely sure nothing is going to happen. All we can do is decide if we want to risk. I strongly believe that poor countries like in the Eastern Europe should close down their nuclear power plants if they do not have the money to provide the necessary security. But I do not see a reason (not enough, anyway) why rich countries in the western world shouldn't engage in this industry. For the sake of the environment.

Danny Kirkeby

I agree with you totally. It is the only viable source of energy that is available to mankind now. Everybody is talking about wind mills etc. but a wind mill will have to be in use for years and years just to recover the amount of energy put into producing it!!! (There are statistics on this, but I don't have the exact figures.) And yes! Lets support the eastern European countries in order to enable them to upgrade the safety on their nuclear plants. It's in our own interest.

Stephen English

I'm a 22-year-old editor at an environmental newspaper in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. In your essay on nuclear power you leave out

80 Section I. Power Engineering

Unit 10. Nuclear Power

the important issue of nuclear waste. We still don't know how to prop­erly dispose of it, and it remains dangerous for thousands of years. Until we solve the disposal problem, nuclear energy should not become a widespread power source.

Christian Plesner

As far as I know, we're about 30 years away from being able to travel freely from here to the moon. If we really become dependent upon nuclear power, we're only that far away from having solved the problem... (And I'm not joking — I mean this!)

No source of energy is without problems (not even fusion-power), and we have to ask ourselves — do we want to choose nuclear power with a problem that can be solved within 30 years, or do we want oil and coal, that isn't instantly as harmful as nuclear power, but which can't be solved at all.

I'd rather hand my grandchildren a clean world with a few nuclear deposits they can remove when they know how (to the moon, I say!), instead of polluted world.

Adam Zolciak

I've just read your essay on nuclear power. I work for the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) here in Ohio, USA. I agree that nuclear power is very clean compared to many sources of energy (much cleaner and safer than coal!). Supposedly, here in Toledo a company is working on a new type of solar panel. This new panel is supposed to be more cost-effective. Using their new panels they are claiming to be able to produce a Megawatt of power. Time will tell, but if this is true, solar power may be a viable alternative.

The names of the people	Pro	Against	Reason
Female Nerd
Danny Kirkeby
Stephen English
Christian Plesner
Adam Zolciak

• Discuss the future of nuclear power plants in our society. Use the following phrases and word combinations:

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