Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Germany swears off nuclear power: Should we?

"Germany swears off nuclear power: Should we?” published by THE WEEK on June 8, 201, states opinions about whether Germany's government will succeed or not in its plan of closing all nuclear reactors by the end of 2022. If the plan is feasible, should USA follow the example? 
According to the article, the German Chancellor has already approved a plan to entirely replace  all nuclear reactors by using alternative sources of energy. This plan stands as a preventive measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as a response to the sinister occurrence at the Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan. Different opinions were espressed, some supportive of closing the reactors and other against such mesures. The apposing side argues that discontinuing the use of nuclear power will lead to massive use of coal which has a negative impact on the environment, while those who advocate for the plan see the idea as a great opportunity for the USA and other nations to shift to clear energy such as solar and wind power in order to avoid tragedies.
Personal, I agree with those who are advocating for the use of renewable sources of energy. Looking at the presented figures, if 23 percent of Germany's power comes from nuclear reactors and if they can manage to replace their reactors with clean energy, why shouldn't the USA follow the example if it has only 20 percent? 
From my perspective, the use of clean energy should be mandatory for all nations using nuclear power. If we assume that the world is facing changes in climate (tsunamis, severe storms, heavy rain, constant floods)  that have a direct impact in melting down the nuclear reactors, there is no doubt that public health will be affected if a disaster happens. Furthermore, the USA has experienced more than one plant reactor tragedy in the past and has been witnessing other tragedies in the world such as the recent incident in Japan; I think it is time to think seriously about avoiding domestic terrorism. 
There is no doubt that the use of renewable energy is costly compared to nuclear power. But, if the USA wants to preserve the future of the country for future generations and promote eco-friendliness, the unique way is to embark on clean energy.

5 comments:

  1. Very thoughtful, well written ideas! I agree with your point of view in this reaction. Although I do not know all of the factors involved in making a decision to abandon the use of nuclear power, it seems that it would be much cleaner and safer to switch to renewable sources of energy. Are other countires considering moving away from nuclear power?

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  2. I am convinced by your ideas, and I think all countries should follow Germany in its peaceful and secure step, because nuclear power plants are threatening the humanity life.

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  3. Some of European's country are reducing considerably the number of nuclear power plant. Although it has been showed efficient in generation electricity, the harmful effects are drastic in the case of an accident and also the amount of emissions (CO2)are very high, contributing for an increase of greenhouse effect. But some countries are still reluctant to join the cause and use atomic energy for other evil propose such atomic bomb.

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  4. Wow. I am truly impressed with your thought. I don't understand why many countries, including my country, still stick to the nuclear energy which threatens public health.

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  5. nice ideas and thoughts, I think countries want to have more than one source for energy, that is why they want to keep it, just in case something happened to one of the energy sources.

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