0
The short answer is, "Not a lot, providing that nothing goes wrong for a time much longer than human history."
Nuclear power is a source of carbon dioxide, a global warming gas, as a result of the mining, refining, enriching and transportation of fuel, the construction of the plant, the decommissioning of the plant, and whatever handling of nuclear waste we eventually decide to do. Its production of carbon dioxide per unit of power produced is much lower than that of fossil fuels, even when they are used in the most efficient ways known. By contrast such processes as burning methane from sewage, landfills, and farms is said to be carbon-negative because the pollution it creates is nowhere nearly as bad as the pollution it destroys.
Nuclear power also creates radioactive waste, which can pollute when it is accidentally released, and this can have a very considerable environmental effect as well as economic. The Chernobyl disaster rendered large tracts of land unusable for any purpose for years, and smaller tracts unusable for centuries. For many years, 20% of the GNP of Belarus went into cleanup. There were agricultural losses over a thousand miles away, in places considered to be upwind.
The radioactive waste also has to be stored safely for about six million years before it is as safe to handle as naturally occurring uranium ore, which is not really very safe to handle. There are about seventy thousand tons of this waste in existence at this point, and the plutonium in this waste has been calculated to be sufficient to kill all animal life on earth several times over. We have to consider the possibility that some of this will be released as part of the understanding of nuclear pollution.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
How can nuclear energy be captured and transformed into electrical energy?
The nuclear energy isn't so much as captured, but rather just "used". In the process, fission of uranium fuel rods causes water flowing through the reactor to be heated - eventually producing steam, which in turn spins turbines to create electricity.
How much percent of Saskatchewan uses nuclear energy?
There are no nuclear power plants in that province
How much nuclear energy does Australia use?
In Australia they use no nuclear energy. They only have on reactor which is only used for medical purposes.
What are the improvements being made for using conventional sources of energy?
Well for nuclear energy they have two different types. Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Fission, is the splitting of an atom to create heat which then goes into steam turbines that create electricity. Fusion, is much more safe because it does not have radiation. Fusion creates massive amounts of energy through combining the substances of Deuterium and Tritium. The energy created is more than any other light atomic nuclei in the world. I dont know 2 much about it. But it sounds promising and a good alternative to burning coal and gas.
How much mechanical energy is in a nuclear bomb?
That depends on the yield.
What is main disadvantage of fusion?
It requires almost as much energy to create nuclear fusion as the energy it creates. :)
How much of Colorado's energy is nuclear?
There are no nuclear generating plants in Colorado
How does nuclear energy impact the environment?
Not much pollution unless there is a nuclear reaction.
How much nuclear energy is used in Indiana?
Indiana has no nuclear power plants.
How can nuclear energy be captured and transformed into electrical energy?
The nuclear energy isn't so much as captured, but rather just "used". In the process, fission of uranium fuel rods causes water flowing through the reactor to be heated - eventually producing steam, which in turn spins turbines to create electricity.
How much energy can a recycled bottle create?
Recycling does not create energy. It reduces the expenditure of energy.
How much percent of Saskatchewan uses nuclear energy?
There are no nuclear power plants in that province
Does hydro energy cost less then nuclear energy?
Yes much less
How much better or worse is nuclear energy?
Compared to what?
How much nuclear energy does Australia use?
In Australia they use no nuclear energy. They only have on reactor which is only used for medical purposes.
What are the improvements being made for using conventional sources of energy?
Well for nuclear energy they have two different types. Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Fission, is the splitting of an atom to create heat which then goes into steam turbines that create electricity. Fusion, is much more safe because it does not have radiation. Fusion creates massive amounts of energy through combining the substances of Deuterium and Tritium. The energy created is more than any other light atomic nuclei in the world. I dont know 2 much about it. But it sounds promising and a good alternative to burning coal and gas.
Is noise pollution a possible negative effect of nuclear energy?
Nuclear energy itself, in a nuclear reactor, does not produce noise. The associated steam turbine plant will produce some noise, but probably not much outside the plant boundaries. The exception would be when a turbine has suddenly shutdown and steam has to be blown off for a while, that would probably be heard for a mile or two.
