Band 8 essay sample | Advantages of nuclear energy outweigh disadvantages

Essay topic

The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy. The benefits of nuclear technology far outweigh the disadvantages. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The following is an essay submitted by one of our students.

There are many benefits to nuclear energy.  Military powers have used them to end wars and are still using them as a deterrent. Used for civilian reasons, nuclear energy provides electricity with no negative impact on the environment. Some people, therefore, believe that the advantages of nuclear power outweigh the disadvantages. However, in my opinion, these are all misconceptions and I don’t support nuclear power.

Used as a weapon it has the most destructive power. The effects of radiation have consequences for years to come. The genetic material of human beings and of plants could be damaged from exposure to radiation. Restoring peace and rebuilding the country after a nuclear attack can be even more difficult. The radiation can even affect people living in neighbouring countries.  Today, nuclear weapons could fall in the hands of the so called rogue states or terrorist groups. If used for terrorist purposes the consequences could be quite disastrous.

As a source of energy for civilian reasons nuclear power seems very attractive, but it is also very dangerous. Accidents in nuclear power plants have happened before in Chernobyl and more recently in Fukushima. Both accidents went totally out of control and destroyed the surrounding zones. In addition to the risk of accidents, there is the problem of nuclear waste. It will keep producing radiation for centuries and today we have no satisfying solution for the transport and the storage of nuclear waste.

For the above stated reasons, I believe, that even if nuclear power has enormous benefits, the dangers inherent to this technologies are so significant that they outweigh all possible benefits.