Nuclear Energy, Assignment

Which are risks of using nuclear power plants to generate electricity? Check all that apply. 1. Nuclear power plants produce highly toxic waste that breaks down very slowly. 2. Nuclear power plants require undersea drilling that damages marine ecosystems. 3. Nuclear power plants rely on complex control systems that can fail due to human error. 4. Nuclear power plants require mining to obtain fuel. 5. Nuclear power plants produce a great deal of smog and other air pollution even when functioning correctly.

1. Nuclear power plants produce highly toxic waste that breaks down very slowly. 3. Nuclear power plants rely on complex control systems that can fail due to human error. 4. Nuclear power plants require mining to obtain fuel.

Which are benefits of using nuclear power plants to generate electricity? Check all that apply. 1. Nuclear power plants use renewable fuel. 2. Nuclear power plants produce little to no greenhouse gas. 3. Nuclear power plants produce a large amount of energy for a small mass of fuel. 4. Nuclear power plants produce no toxic waste products. 5. Nuclear power plants use simple power plant designs not vulnerable to human error or natural disasters.

2. Nuclear power plants produce little to no greenhouse gas. 3. Nuclear power plants produce a large amount of energy for a small mass of fuel.

Write an essay to explain your position on whether or not nuclear power should be continued in the US. Support your position with specific reasons and justifications.

Include: If you wrote that the risks are too great, did you support this with the risk of environmental contamination, human health hazards due to exposure to radioactive materials, and the need for long-term storage of nuclear waste? or If you wrote that the benefits outweigh risks, did you support this with the efficiency of energy conversion, safe operation potential, lack of greenhouse gas emissions, and abundance of uranium?