Radioactive waste
Nuclear energy is one of the cleanest, most efficient and most available sources of power. To generate 1 kilowatt-hour of energy the amount an American household consumes in 48 minutes -nuclear power plants only emit 12 grams of carbon dioxide enough to fill three 2 liter soda bottles. Meanwhile to produce the same amount of energy coal plants emit 820 grams of co2 about a full bathtub's worth.
Factoring in the environmental cost of production, nuclear energy is cleaner than hydropower than geothermal than solar than really any energy source except wind. But that doesn't necessarily nuclear is a longterm solution for the world, because radioactive waste is perhaps the most poisonous substance on earth.
Two times in history have nuclear power plants leaked a significant amount of radiation. In 1986 in Chernobyl, Ukraine and in 2011 in Fukushima, Japan. 31 people died in Chernobyl with at least a further 4000 expected to contract early lethal cancer due to radiation. Fukushima was better contained with only two deaths, both unrelated to radiation and only 130 early cancer deaths expected, but additionally, each site still today has massive exclusion zones where humans cannot live due to ongoing radiation. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from their homes and will never be allowed to return.
The economic damage of Chernobyl is estimated at nearly $250 billion dollars-significantly more than the GDP of Ukraine $93 billion dollars. The Fukushima disaster, meanwhile having taken place is a much more populated and developed area, is estimated to set Japan back over $500 billion dollars a full 10% of their GDP $4.9 trillion.
Factoring in the environmental cost of production, nuclear energy is cleaner than hydropower than geothermal than solar than really any energy source except wind. But that doesn't necessarily nuclear is a longterm solution for the world, because radioactive waste is perhaps the most poisonous substance on earth.
Two times in history have nuclear power plants leaked a significant amount of radiation. In 1986 in Chernobyl, Ukraine and in 2011 in Fukushima, Japan. 31 people died in Chernobyl with at least a further 4000 expected to contract early lethal cancer due to radiation. Fukushima was better contained with only two deaths, both unrelated to radiation and only 130 early cancer deaths expected, but additionally, each site still today has massive exclusion zones where humans cannot live due to ongoing radiation. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from their homes and will never be allowed to return.
The economic damage of Chernobyl is estimated at nearly $250 billion dollars-significantly more than the GDP of Ukraine $93 billion dollars. The Fukushima disaster, meanwhile having taken place is a much more populated and developed area, is estimated to set Japan back over $500 billion dollars a full 10% of their GDP $4.9 trillion.
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