Nuclear EnergyThe 20th century saw the use of fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil as the predominant sources of energy for our society. But, with their use have come a number of serious problems, such as their limited availability and the question of

The reading claims that the nuclear energy is an evolution of energy production and must be seen as an option instead of fossil fuels. And, it provides three reasons of support. However, the professor explains that the idea is premature. He concedes that there are well-known advantages, but the reasons mentioned in the articles are not well -thought-out. So, he refutes each of author's reasons.

First, the article avers that the fuel of nuclear power is cheaper than the fossil fuel. The professor opposes this point by saying that the investment needed to build a nuclear plant is very high. He states that building a nuclear plant needs a lot of time and expertise compared to what they need for fossil fuels. Also, legistlations of many countries force nuclear plants to have some programs and equipments to protect public from problems and accidents, so all of these adds up to the significant cost needed for nuclear energy.

Second, the reading posits that the process of making nuclear power is safe. The lecturer states that accidents happen all of the time. Even though the accidents are not catastrophic, they can have a devastating effect. He provides an example of Island of PWR in Pennsylvania to illustrate this. The professor says that even though the radiation caused by the accident did not affect the public, the financial damage was very huge. It took 1 billion dollars to fix the nuclear plant. Also, it had a negative impact by the psychological stress that it caused for the public.

Third, the article asserts that the hazardous radioactive waste can be managed effectively. The professor contends that it is not easily managable. He conceded that they are able to decrease the high level of waste, but there are side problems. For instance, one of the side products of nuclear reactions is Plutuneum 239 which can be used to make nuclear weapons. So, there is a risk of theft to build nuclear weapons. Another problem is the place that they have to burry all of the waste. They must find a place to dispose all of nuclear waste under the ground for hundreds of years which is a very hard task. Furthermore, even after finding the spot, citizens and politicians always take legal actions to not let this happen.