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Nuclear Energy: A Necessary ‘Evil’ for Human Advancement?

Drew Mirante – Bryn Mawr College

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"Fat Man" Mushroom Cloud Over Nagasaki http://www.childrenofthemanhattanproject.org/

COLLECTIONS/CG-JPAP/Pages/CGP-JPAP-034.htm

Is this the image that comes to one’s mind when considering nuclear energy?

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Or this?

Exterior of the Chernobyl power plant after the 26 April, 1986 explosion.

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Or this?

Low-level waste disposal at Hanford, Washington

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Why not this?

Image from Int’l Dark-sky Alliance

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What causes this reaction?

• The U.S. as the only nation to use atomic weapons against mankind?– The subsequent Cold War with the USSR?

• ‘Ephemeral’ Nature of Nuclear Processes?

• Environmental Issues?– Potentially Severe Accidents– Disposal/Storage/Transport of waste material

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• Given the instability in the world’s petroleum producing regions, is it of national interest to develop alternative energy sources?– Begs the question, why not other renewable

energy sources?

• Power Plants release no Greenhouse Gasses

• What of Emerging Industrialized Nations?

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CO2 Emissions by Power Sector – 2025Million Metric tons

Sources: EIA, Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2003, DOE/EIA-0573(2003)

Coal - 2677

Natural Gas - 507

Other - 22Oil - 109

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North American Energy Consumption, 2025

Quadrillion BTU

Coal (33.2)

20%

Oil (65.2)

40%

Natural Gas (39.6) 24%

Nuclear Electric (9.9)

6%

Other (14.1) 9%

Sources: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2005, DOE/EIA-0383(2005)

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Asian Emerging Economies Energy Consumption - 2025

Nuclear Electric (6.5)

3%

Coal (89.6)

44%

Other (11.6) 6%

Oil (69.6)

35%

Natural Gas (4.4) 11%

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136 Reactors – 31 Shutdown, Decommissioned, Suspended, or Cancelled

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