Should we use nuclear energy?

2021 年 9 月 12 日

是否要使用核能?

作者: Chouping 周平

Whether we should continue using nuclear energy has been debated in Taiwan for a few years now. Using nuclear energy has its pros and cons. The main advantage of using nuclear energy is that compared to burning fossil fuels, using nuclear energy doesn’t do as much damage to our air quality or affect global warming as much. The main disadvantage of using nuclear energy is that it produces radioactive waste, which costs a lot to safely store.

We should consider using nuclear energy until we can rely mainly on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Using nuclear energy is better than burning fossil fuels. It has less impact on our air quality. The energy source we currently rely on the most is fossil fuels, which is also one of the main causes of air pollution in Taiwan. According to the WHO website, air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. Using nuclear energy could reduce that number substantially. Nuclear energy is also a reliable energy source. Nuclear power plants produce a large amount of energy around the clock. It also doesn’t cost much to operate. How about wind or solar energy? It may be feasible for us to rely mainly on them in the future. However, we still have a long way to go until then, so in the meantime, choosing nuclear energy is the best.

Nuclear energy is better than fossil fuel. However, there still are some disadvantages to using nuclear energy. The first is that nuclear power plants are expensive to build. The cost of building a nuclear power plant is also rising. The second is that it produces radioactive waste. Radioactive waste could cause cancer and genetic problems for animals and plants. The third is that it is not renewable energy. Nuclear energy depends on uranium and thorium to produce energy. If we use up all the uranium and thorium then we would have no way to produce nuclear energy.

Nuclear energy has its advantages and disadvantages. It’s better than burning fossil fuels, but it’s not the best option. The best option would be renewable energy, though we still can’t rely on it. Before we can do that, nuclear energy might just be the better option.