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IS NUCLEAR ENERGY A CLEANER ALTERNATIVE THAN COAL?
IS NUCLEAR ENERGY
A CLEANER ALTERNATIVE THAN COAL?
One of the reasons
proponents of nuclear energy argue for the widespread adoption of
nuclear power is that nuclear energy is less polluting than fossil
fuels, particularly coal. Today most coal-burning power plants burn
soft coal that contains sulfur, which interacts with moisture in the
atmosphere to form acid precipitation. In addition, the combustion of
coal releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps solar heat in
our atmosphere and possibly causes the Earth to warm.
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In comparison, nuclear energy
emits very few pollutants into the atmosphere. It does, however,
generate nuclear waste that is highly radioactive and therefore very
dangerous (to be discussed shortly). The extreme health and
environmental hazards created by this waste require that special
measures be taken in its storage and disposal. Nuclear power plants
also produce other nuclear wastes, such as radioactive coolant
fluids and gases in the reactor. |
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Opponents of nuclear energy contend
that the fact that coal is a dirty fuel is not so much an argument in
favor of nuclear energy as it is an argument in favor of a cleaner
alternative to coal. They point out that pollution control devices can
significantly lessen the air pollution produced by coal-burning power
plants. As provisions of the 1990 Clean Air Act go into effect, more and
more coal-fired power plants will install pollution control equipment.
Moreover, the replacement of
coal-burning power plants with nuclear power does not significantly
lessen the threat of global warming, because only 15 percent of the
greenhouse gases come from power plants in the first place. Most
greenhouse gases are produced by automobile emissions and industrial
processes, which are unaffected by nuclear power. Also, the
uranium-mining through uranium-enrichment steps tn the nuclear fuel
cycle require the combustion of fossil fuels, meaning that nuclear
energy indirectly contributes to the greenhouse effect.
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