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Charles Thornton
Ms. Caruso
UWRT 1103
October 6, 2015
Synthesis Paper
Today we live in a consumer world that is addicted to electricity and the
technology it provides. We have become increasingly reliant on these consumer
technologies to power modern day society. The technological increase along with
population increase has spiked the rate at which we consumer energy to an all timealltime high (World Energy Consumption Since 1820 in Charts). Present day energy needs
are met through numerous different methods of energy production. In 2014 the U.S.
generated 66% of its energy needs through burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural
gas (U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and
Analysis.). Burning fossil fuels produces harmful greenhouse gases, which are the
leading contributor to climate change and the rising temperatures throughout the world
today (Climate Change Indicators in the United States.). Utilizing nuclear power could
significantly lower these increasing greenhouse gasses and carbon emissions. Depleting
resources and high-energy demands have the world looking towards the nuclear energy to
help meet this demand. This assessment will distinguish if nuclear power is justified and
should continue to be expanded as an energy resource.
It is important to assess climate change and the carbon footprint nuclear power
leaves compared to other hydrocarbons. Anytime something burns it is considered to be a
combustion reaction because the products of the reaction are carbon dioxide and

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dihydrogen monoxide (water). The burning of coal and natural gas releases harmful
greenhouse gasses, like carbon dioxide and methane, into the atmosphere. Sarah
Zielinski, an award-winning science writer and editor explains in one of her articles, The
burning of natural gas produces nearly half the carbon dioxide per unit of energy
compared to coal (Zielinski). So why do we not burn more natural gas in effort to reduce
carbon emissions effecting climate change? Well, we actually have been. The EPA
suggests that around 2012 there was a drop in the burning of coal and an increase in the
burning of natural gas (Today in Energy). According to Zielinski, the recent boom in
natural gas production in the United States contributed to a 3.8% drop in carbon
emissions since 2012. However, natural gas has a downside when it comes to fighting
climate change. Dr. Harlan Bengtson, a graduate of Iowa State University with B.S. and
M.S. degrees and a PhD in engineering explains in an article, Natural gas typically
contains about 87 - 96% methane by volume, with most of the remainder being ethane
(Bengtson). Methane is a potent green house gas and is 30 times better at holding the
atmospheres heat than carbon dioxide (Zielinski). Thus natural gas has a slim advantage
over other fossil fuels in the fight against climate change.
One source explained nuclear power leaves a carbon footprint so low, that less
than 1% of carbon dioxide emissions come from the actual operation of the power plant
(How Nuclear Energy Works - Conserve Energy Future). Here is why: If you have ever
taken chemistry or physics you should know that the law of conservation of mass states
matter can be converted from one form into another, but the total amount of mass remains
constant. Nearly all the mass of an atom is contained in the nucleus, which consists of
protons and neutrons. Nuclear energy, as the term states, is energy released from the

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nucleus of an atom. This is a direct result of an atoms mass being converted into energy.
Nuclear fission is the main process used to generate nuclear energy. When a large
element such as uranium -235 is hit by a slow moving neutron it becomes unstable
causing the atom to split in half releasing more neutrons, thus beginning a chain reaction.
When the nucleus breaks apart it releases extreme amounts of energy in the form of
thermal radiation (heat) (How Nuclear Energy Works Conserve Energy Future) In
other words, the self sustainingself-sustaining chain reaction produces enough heat to boil
water and drive the steam turbines leading to the generation of electricity. Unlike burning
coal and natural gas, there is no combustion in a fission reaction and the energy produced
leaves a carbon footprint next to nothing. In the 1970s-1980s when France transitioned
from burning fossil fuels to nuclear power the fastest drop in greenhouse gas pollution for
electricity production occurred (Beillo). This evidence reported by David Beillo, a writer
for scientificamerica.com, further supports the suggestion that nuclear power is a global
warming solution.
With such a smalla direct carbon footprint so minimal, its important to question
why nuclear power does not make up a larger portion of our energy production. Despite
being the one of the cleanest energy technologies available today, nuclear energy
certainly has its disadvantages. One of the most concerning topics regarding nuclear
energy is what to do with the highly radioactive waste. The waste from a nuclear reactor,
typically referred to as spent fuel, is dangerously radioactive and remains sothat way for
thousands of years. According to a group of nuclear engineers who run the website
whatisnuclear.com, When it first comes out of the reactor, spent fuel is so toxic that if
you stood within a few meters of it while it was unshielded, you would receive a lethal

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radioactive dose within a few seconds and would die of acute radiation sickness within a
few days"(What is Nuclear? / Nuclear Waste).
The disposal of the highly radioactive spent fuel and is a hot topic for debate and
often an argument against the use of nuclear power. The main objective in managing and
disposing of radioactive waste is to protect people and the environment. One of the
processes used to dispose of radioactive waste is to actually recycle it. This is a practice
mainly used in European countries. The recycling process separates the two elements
uranium and plutonium from the waste for re-use in a nuclear reactor. The second method
of disposing radioactive waste is a multiple barrier geological disposal plan. The multiple
barrier disposal plans isolate the radioactive materials from the biosphere for thousands
of years until their radioactive contents have decayed to a safe level (World Nuclear
Association).
A final question to consider is: In terms of volume, is the amount of radioactive
waste is relatively small when compared to wastes of fossil fuels? Nuclear engineer Dr.
Nick Touran has the answer to just how much nuclear waste we produce. If all the
electricity use of the USA was distributed evenly among its population, and all of it came
from nuclear power, then the amount of nuclear waste each person would generate per
year would be 39.5 grams. That's the weight of 7 U. S. quarters U.S. of waste, per year! If
we got all our electricity from coal and natural gas, expect to have over 10,000 kilograms
of carbon dioxide attributed to each person, not to mention other poisonous emissions
directly to the biosphere (Touran).
As consumers we must consider the cost of our energy to future generations.
Nuclear energy has the potential to do great good, but also do great harm, even in the

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hands of good people. Nuclear power is a great option in the effort to reduce our carbon
emissions. However, disposal and dangers from radiation should make it one of the many
sources we continue to rely on.

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Works Cited
"Advantages Of Nuclear Energy." ConserveEnergyFuture. N.p., 20 Jan. 2013. Web. 03
Oct. 2015.
Beillo, David. "How Nuclear Power Can Stop Global Warming." Scientific American
Global RSS. N.p., 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2015.
Bengtson, Harlan. "Methane Gas Facts, Properties, Uses, and Hazards." Bright Hub. Ed.
Lamar Stonecyphe. N.p., 19 Sept. 2010. Web. 03 Oct. 2015.
"Climate Change Indicators in the United States." Greenhouse Gases. N.p., n.d. Web. 03
Oct. 2015.
"How Nuclear Energy Works - Conserve Energy Future." ConserveEnergyFuture. N.p.,
20 Jan. 2013. Web. 03 Oct. 2015.
"Today in Energy." Energy Sources Have Changed throughout the History of the United
States. N.p., 3 July 2013. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.
Touran, Nick. "What Is Nuclear? / Nuclear Waste." What Is Nuclear? / Nuclear Waste.
N.p., 2008. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis."
What Is U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2015.
"What Is Nuclear? / Nuclear Waste." What Is Nuclear? / Nuclear Waste. N.p., n.d. Web.
04 Oct. 2015.
"World Energy Consumption Since 1820 in Charts." Our Finite World. N.p., 12 Mar.
2012. Web. 03 Oct. 2015.
"World Nuclear Association." Radioactive Waste Management. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct.
2015.
Zielinski, Sarah. "Natural Gas Really Is Better Than Coal." Smithsonian. N.p., 13 Feb.
2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2015.

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