NUCLEAR POWER

By: Stefanus Brian D.N.
081214051





Overpopulation, global warming, and huge demands of energy have made people in the world try to search an alternative energy. Nuclear power comes as a new solution. Why must we choose nuclear power? “Nuclear power is energy produced from controlled (i.e., non-explosive) nuclear reactions” (Wikipedia.com). Nuclear power can produce large amount of energy which is more than enough to supply energy. The purpose is to replace coal and oil with a new generation of nuclear power.
Nuclear power is becoming popular again for alternative energy supply. Nuclear power also can reduce polluting emissions of CO2 and reduce the dependence of coal and oil. Nuclear power has answered the question about an energy crisis that will happen. Nuclear power is more promising than coal or oil. Coal and oil are un-renewable resources. The scientists believe that it is impossible to just depend on coal or oil. Coal and oil produce more CO2 and indirectly increase greenhouse effect. Unlike coal and oil, nuclear power produces less CO2 into environment.
However, many controversies rise up later. First, it is about safety. Safety is vital global issue. A nuclear power accident can stir public fears. Public still have a bad image and memory about nuclear energy. As we know, there are two big accidents of nuclear power. They are Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and Three Miles Island accident in Pennsylvania. A radioactive cloud spread to accident’s areas and cause panicky situation. These two accidents have sent a big alarm to the world and raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power industry. Public is afraid about this issue. They want more than a safety guarantee. Many environmental organizations are still antinuclear. Minimizing the failure maybe can ease the fear.
In other side, nuclear power is still debatable. It still has controversial problem. The bad history is the main reason. The debate over nuclear power plant has moved to where and how many nuclear power plants will be built. Government’s plan to build a nuclear plant will face public acceptance. Sometimes, the construction will be delayed because of some rejections from community. The majority of public consider nuclear power plants to be unsafe. In this case, government has to be more proactive to socialize the nuclear power, by informing the safety and the benefits of nuclear power technology. The government can develop further discussion with the public. Public opinion is really the only factor which can stop nuclear energy coming into place globally.
Building nuclear plants are also faced with economic side problem. The infrastructures will spent much money. "No nuclear power station anywhere in the world has ever been built on time and on budget with the average reactor costing three times as much and twice as long to build. In India, the country with the most recent experience of nuclear reactor construction, completion costs for the last 10 reactors have, on average, been 300% over budget. In Finland, the construction of a new reactor is already €1.5 billion over budget.” (Greenpeace.org.uk). Based on the facts, the government will think twice about the plan. Of course, the plan to build nuclear power plants in developing countries is not appropriate. A partnership deals maybe can help developing countries to afford new plant or have the infrastructure to meet the energy demand. Later, the location and the amount of nuclear power plant will have an effect in budgeting.
The next controversial problem is from religious side. We can take an example from US’ government. When the government brought a nuclear proposal to Congress, it seemed that the government prepared it intensely. The government would like to make it become a policy. However, there is a rejection from religious side. They believe that is a fool action. The legalization of nuclear power has effects on political tension among US, Russia, and Middle East. The proposal will put us on a dilemmatic situation. In one side, we are loyal citizens but in another side we have a firm belief that it will be dangerous for humankind even killing off the population. It is about a choice. We as a citizen like to loyal to our country or we as religious people reject this proposal.
Public’s fear is also about nuclear weapon while nuclear power is being legalized. Enrichment uranium for nuclear power can make misunderstanding, like a case today between US and Iran. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who has authority on it must control the process of uranium enrichment. By supervising, it can prevent people for using nuclear power for unexpected purposes, such as nuclear weapon. It will be a big threat if nuclear weapon is present. Nuclear weapon maybe causes mass destruction. The world’s concern about Iran is good. Besides, UN Security Council has to do the same with IAEA. UN Security Council must call halt uranium enrichment. It is a preventive way before Iran or other countries make nuclear weapon.
Obama as US’ President has concerned on this threat for a long time. Obama make a nuclear summit which is attended by 47 world leaders. Obama believes that nuclear weapon threat will be a catastrophe for the world, strike at global peace and stability. The nuclear summit is further to response the changing global situation regarding nuclear weapon. This nuclear summit is a strategy to decrease the threat of nuclear weapon and technology from terrorist. The summit can be a momentum for eliminating nuclear weapon program in several countries. Giving some sanctions is needed as a real actions not just a discourse. Public should realize and remember that the program to build nuclear reactor is for a peaceful purpose. The progress is mobilization a unified global action to obey proliferation treaty. With this nuclear summit, Obama was confident that nuclear weapons and materials are properly safeguarded.
Next, we move to nuclear waste or radioactive waste. Nuclear waste problem has not solved yet. Nuclear waste is usually stores in underground nuclear waste storage. The questions come next. Is it safe? or What about the environment? Basically, the majority of radioactive waste is low-level waste. A waste-disposal program is a program to solve the problem of radioactive waste. in this program, nuclear waste keep in storage space and safe in final resting place. The area is chosen far away from the populations. The storage also must be kept from direct contact with people. In addition, nuclear waste is buried thousands of feet below the surface. It means that radioactive waste is safe.
Transporting nuclear waste from the plants to the nuclear waste storage is another controversy. It is caused by the routes that are gone through the nuclear waste. The challenge is on technical way of moving the nuclear waste from one place to other places. We have to keep it safe to the storage. Special transportation way is set to carry the radioactive waste with also enhancing energy security.

References:
• Walter Isaacson;j. Madeleine nash;Bruce van Voorst. Monday, Nov. 08, 1982. A Blast from the Bishops. time.com. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925819-5,00.html
• Eben HARRELL/olkiluoto. Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. Forget Chernobyl, Nuclear Energy is Making a Comeback. time.com. Retrieved February 2, 2010, from: http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1712863_1712864_1712893,00.html
• Agence France-PRESSE. April 12, 2010. Obama to open landmark nuclear summit. msn.com. Retrieved April 1, 2010, from : http://news.id.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4024644
• Nuclear Power. Retrieved May 15, 2010, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_energy
• Greenpeace (2008, January 28). The Case Against Nuclear Power. Retrieved May 15, 2010, Web Site: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/files/pdfs/nuclear/nuclear-power-briefing.pdf)

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

By Sarwedi Sirait/081214040

Sanata Dharma University

Environmental issue is one of the most relevant topics which are discussed by almost all countries in over the world. It emerges based on the facts that have obviously been found in the last decades by a number of researches from any subjects related to environmental problems. These studies show that there are some abnormal phenomena that are seen nowadays, for instant, global warming and climate change. However, there is an implication between global warming and climate change. Thus, those issues, global warming and climate change issues are considered as the most serious problem besides other environmental matters which should be urgently prevented before the worse things happen. They will be the main focus of this essay as well as some appropriate solutions should be taken to resolve the cases.

Global warming has become the centre attention of mostly people in the world because its effect can be felt directly whenever we go outside. The earth’s temperature is continually warmer and warmer because of the gas emissions volume in the atmosphere has excessively increased year by year. This condition forces people to use Air Condition (AC) inside the house in which it aggravates the outside condition instead. Considering the rapidity of global warming is urgent to be prevented, at least one hundred nations were present at United Nation Climate Change Conference 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The convention is meant to discuss and tried to formulate some progress policies which immediately should be done related to any environmental issue such as mammal extinction, garbage in ocean, and nuclear energy effect instead of global warming and climate change effects.

Global emission is mostly emitted by vehicles and factories. As we know that America, China, and Russia are the three highest emission level position of the global emission. Therefore, they are asked to give more contribution to support the global emission reducing programs. It needs lots of money to succeed the programs even hundreds millions dollars. The increasing of vehicles’ users has made this problem getting complex and crucial. The world economic should be developed by establishing companies or industries in the interest of human’s prosperity but in other sides it carries some bad effects on humans’ life as well. That is why, it has to be seen from any aspect comprehensively before taking the right decision. The usage of any renewable energy sources becomes another alternative way in order to reduce carbon dioxide in the air instead of minimizing using fuel. Yes, recently some countries like America and Europe have produced bio-ethanol from food plants like corns and peanuts. While China, they build windmills to produce energy although it costs much. Those inventions are safer than using nuclear or fuel for energy sources.

Another main cause of global warming is deforestation. Cutting trees in the forest excessively for any reason such as plantation, furniture, and paper, however, has globally brought some impacts toward all creatures, without exception. The multiple of population around the world is one of the triggers of deforestation, because people need more place to build houses. There are billions people whom should be fed, so narrowing forest for plantation is another reason. The global warming influences not only plants or animals in the ground but also in the ocean. Because it has anything to do with climate change that automatically brings side-effect to those creatures, for example a certain animal or plant cannot be living when the temperature is changed. The weather is rather extreme than before. It changes the ecology system. Thus, the death of some animals or plant cannot be avoided. Meanwhile, if the food chain is broken off, symbiosis mutualism cannot work well as it should be. Animals and plants become the victims of this unnatural condition. “Massive destruction to the rain forest would have a domino effect on the rest of the world” (Rogers, 2010, p. 1). It is really terrible if we let it happens, for we have a responsibility to take care of everything in this world.

In addition, the decreasing of forest around the world occurs continuously when people tend to prioritize only the raising of economy, without considering the bad effects that might occur after. Thus, every country has to preserve their forest in order to keep the balancing of nature. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen that we need all at once. Restoring forest by replanting again is urgent to do, so that animals and any kinds of plants can free from extinction. They will constantly exist by keeping their habitats. People also need to educate how to preserve the forest by building their awareness so that the function of forest can be preserved well.

The government of each country, particularly department of environmental, should regulate a master plan either any quick acts or future plans related to this case. The involvement of researchers is another reasonable way in order to get a comprehensible analysis about the effects of deforestation and climate change, so that either government or people get sufficient information to succeed restoring program. There will be more effective if people cooperate with the government policy. However, forest must be kept from damage, for we need it to reduce the global warming. We can make this world exist longer if we give our endeavors to preserve it well. Nothing can happen without participating of all elements in society. We can make it if we try. For those people who break the law should be punished based on the law.

Reference:

Rogers, Stephanie. (2010). earthfirst.com: 7 Environmental Problems That Are Worse Than We Thought. Retrieved May 23, 2010, from http://earthfirst.com/7-environmental-problems-that-are-worse-than-we-thought/