By Linh Pham It has been 30 years since the Chernobyl Accident and 5 years since Fukushima Daiichi Accident, nuclear energy has left a bad impression in people’s minds. The disasters released high amount of radioactive, causing several deaths and affecting millions of people. The disaster raised doubts over the safety of nuclear power plant. At the time of the Fukushima accident, there were several public protests calling for nuclear power to be abandoned. Is abandoning nuclear power a good decision? The recent years have seen many improvements in both regulatory framework and technology of nuclear power. However, more importantly, besides the lessons learnt from the accidents, this article will focus on the benefits of nuclear power on the way to reach sustainable development goals. Economic dimension The fuel used in producing nuclear energy is Uranium (U), which resource availability is huge and superior when compared to oil or natural gas resource availability in terms of reverse-production ratio. Although the changes in regulations will not only increase the capital investment of nuclear power and nuclear power plants (NPPs) but also the construction time, making NPPs projects risky and not favourable in investor’s point of view, the levelized costs of electricity generation of nuclear energy are the lowest. Environmental dimension Nuclear energy is one of the power sources that emits greenhouse gases the least. Like renewable power sources, nuclear energy reduces acidification, eutrophication, antibiotic resource depletion potentials. As the wastes of producing nuclear power process are dangerous radioactive products, managing nuclear waste is a difficult challenge. A part of the spent nuclear fuel can be recycled and long-lived radioactive can be turned into material with a shorter half-life. Another approach with several advantages which is studied from the Fukushima accident is storing nuclear waste in dry casks at a small number of secured, separated completely from the reactors sites. Only a limited land surface needed for a unit of nuclear based electricity make nuclear power become beneficial regarding land use. Considerable water use for NPPs causes arguments about the environmental sustainability aspect, however, alternative cooling systems can be considered to comply with the requirements and adapt with climate change in the future. Social dimension Once radioactive is leaked, human health is put in danger. However, lessons from the tremendous disasters are unforgettable and national safety regulations everywhere are reconsidered and strengthened. In fact, the level of toxicity and radioactive waste disposal doses from nuclear power station are unsubstantial. Nuclear power is a relatively new field, especially in developing countries, hence it brings more opportunities with long term jobs, moreover, as the world is shifting toward a less carbon economy, the living standard of citizens will be improved. The two disasters might spread suspicions and fear amongst people, but it does not mean that we shut down all NPPs and abdicate nuclear power’s benefits. We have to get over the problems and consider them with different attitudes. Nuclear power, together with renewable powers, will be an irreplaceable part of the sustainable future with low-carbon electricity systems. References IAEA. 2016. Nuclear Power and Sustainable Development. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency. http://www-pub.iaea.org/books/iaeabooks/11084/Nuclear-Power-and-Sustainable-Development##ctl00_cphRDBooksHomeMain_FormViewBookDetails_rightsdivdiv
Moniz, E. 2011. Why we still need nuclear power. Foreign Affairs Nov/Dec 2011. Published 17.10.2011. Read 13.11. 2016. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2011-10-17/why-we-still-need-nuclear-power OECD. 2002. Chernobyl: Assessment on Radiological and Health Impacts. 2002 Update of Chernobyl: Ten years on. Paris: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. http://www.oecd-nea.org/rp/chernobyl/ OECD. 2016. Five years after the Fukushima Daiichi Accident: Nuclear Safety Improvement and lessons learnt. Executive Summary. Paris: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. https://www.oecd-nea.org/nsd/pubs/2016/7285-five-years-fukushima-es.pdf Ripley, W. Ogura, J. and Griffiths, J. 2016. Fukushima: Five years after Japan’s worst nuclear disaster. Updated 11.03.2016. Read 13.11.2016. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/08/asia/fukushima-five-year-anniversary/ United Nation. Sustainable Development Goals. http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ |
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