By Andrew Fribush, Seventh Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
Our world today faces many problems, including climate change, political conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic and much more. However, one problem that perhaps does not get the attention it deserves is nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy is a very controversial topic with some arguing for it and others adamantly against it. Those in favor say it is a great source of energy because of its reliability. Most notably, this form of energy is usually less expensive than some other forms, and it is dependable. In fact, a 2018 study out of Stanford University showed that nuclear energy is the most reliable source of energy by a sizable margin.
There are, however, drawbacks. When nuclear energy is made, it produces radioactive waste. Radioactive waste is spent (used) fuel that is no longer reusable. It can be a major threat to the land, ocean and human life. When nuclear energy is mined and used, it releases a very high amount of carbon dioxide into the environment. Carbon dioxide is not only bad for the environment, but it is also very harmful to humans, especially those who work at nuclear power plants.
According to pubmed.gov, almost 350 people died in power plant accidents between the years of 1969 to 1988.
According to Alex Thaler, lower school science teacher at Krieger Schechter of Chizuk Amuno Congregation, ““Nuclear energy is technically a renewable source of energy that is an alternative to fossil fuels.”
Thaler believes there are many pros and cons to nuclear energy. “The pros are that it is a cleaner energy than burning fossil fuels.”
However, he also understands the negatives to nuclear energy. Thaler agrees it is “controversial because there is a waste product” and that waste product is nuclear waste. He explained that if this nuclear waste were to leak “it’s going to damage the wildlife, and it’ll damage the environment. And if there are any towns or people that live near the waste sites, it could potentially hurt humans living nearby.”
Thaler advocates for cleaner, less dangerous forms of energy. “I’d much rather see the world with solar power, wind power and those types of totally green energy, because there’s no waste, there’s no radioactive anything.” He said he is interested in seeing how all of the new technology that can create energy will pan out.
Miriam Glaser, KSDS middle school science department chair, shares similar ideas. “I definitely think [nuclear energy] is controversial. Some people think that it is a clean source of energy that doesn’t produce any greenhouse gases, which is correct. However, there is also another side of it, where it is producing a lot of toxic waste that the world has not figured out what to do with.”
She noted that power plants store their waste in large barrels. She says that humans need to choose their battles because with this form of energy, there are many pros and cons.
Glaser discusses other ways energy can be made, including solar and wind energy. “We could use it to power our entire country. We could use it to power the entire world.”
Nuclear energy seems to have more problems than benefits. Though it is a reliable form of energy, it compromises the safety of our environment, and we simply cannot afford to do that.
Andrew Fribush is a seventh grade student at the Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation.
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