Persuasive: Nuclear Energy
Nour Aljafari
@55471
WRI 102, 11 am
Nuclear energy: the future power supplier
Ever since humanity has existed, there has been an increasing demand for energy as a means of survival, from its usage for cooking and warmth, all the way to electricity generation for production and agricultural activities.
Today, over 80% of energy consumption comes from fossil fuels, which include coal, oil and natural gas (Irvine, 2011). However, those fuels are not renewable and won’t last for more than a few decades or even less. With the increase of population comes the increase in demand for energy. In the UAE, according to the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), there is an annual increase in energy demand of about 9%; therefore, it is imperative to find a new form of energy that would meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; this is the concept of sustainability, developed by scientists nowadays (Emirates Nuclear Association (ENEC), n.d.; Ferguson, 2011). The two criteria for sustainability are efficiency and renewability, both of which are fulfilled by nuclear power. Nuclear energy is much more environmentally friendly and humanly safe than fossil fuels. It also provides us with the energy security we need; thus, it should be adopted as the future power supplier in all countries.
Environmental safety is one of the major reasons why scientists are reverting to sources other than fossil fuels and developing nuclear technology that would reduce the amounts of all the gaseous, solid and liquid wastes produced by fossil fueled plants. Those wastes are resulting in serious environmental crises. Unlike the fossil fuels, nuclear fuel is smoke free; thus, protecting the environment from the serious implications of the gaseous residuals like Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides that are major contributors to global warming, acidic rain and smog, respectively. Global warming
@55471
WRI 102, 11 am
Nuclear energy: the future power supplier
Ever since humanity has existed, there has been an increasing demand for energy as a means of survival, from its usage for cooking and warmth, all the way to electricity generation for production and agricultural activities.
Today, over 80% of energy consumption comes from fossil fuels, which include coal, oil and natural gas (Irvine, 2011). However, those fuels are not renewable and won’t last for more than a few decades or even less. With the increase of population comes the increase in demand for energy. In the UAE, according to the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), there is an annual increase in energy demand of about 9%; therefore, it is imperative to find a new form of energy that would meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; this is the concept of sustainability, developed by scientists nowadays (Emirates Nuclear Association (ENEC), n.d.; Ferguson, 2011). The two criteria for sustainability are efficiency and renewability, both of which are fulfilled by nuclear power. Nuclear energy is much more environmentally friendly and humanly safe than fossil fuels. It also provides us with the energy security we need; thus, it should be adopted as the future power supplier in all countries.
Environmental safety is one of the major reasons why scientists are reverting to sources other than fossil fuels and developing nuclear technology that would reduce the amounts of all the gaseous, solid and liquid wastes produced by fossil fueled plants. Those wastes are resulting in serious environmental crises. Unlike the fossil fuels, nuclear fuel is smoke free; thus, protecting the environment from the serious implications of the gaseous residuals like Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides that are major contributors to global warming, acidic rain and smog, respectively. Global warming