By: Banner Martin
A new year means new goals and new opportunities to adapt and change. Upon entering 2024, we must realize the need to amend our archaic practices, particularly our use of fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources.
One of the best clean energy sources to switch to is nuclear energy. Not only is nuclear energy a clean option, it is the largest clean energy source in the nation. In addition, the nuclear industry creates thousands of jobs and greatly contributes to the national GDP. According to the United States Department of Energy, this industry also supports national security through energy diplomacy, by using the nation’s global influence to ensure peace with nuclear weapons/energy. Nuclear energy can also benefit us diplomatically by working with other nations towards a clean energy solution and create new opportunities related to nuclear energy. This doesn’t mean that nuclear energy is a permanent solution to the energy issues that lie within our current climate crisis, but it is a realistic temporary solution until we are able to cease the use of fossil fuels and nonrenewable resources worldwide.
Some experts may argue that nuclear power plants are quite expensive to build, their potential for deadly accidents creates a high risk, or that radioactive waste is produced. Although nuclear waste and nuclear disasters can be key consequences of nuclear energy, when managed properly, these consequences can be much more minute. Plus, considering the effects of the current state of the climate crisis, the potential consequences of using nuclear energy are the least of humanity’s worries, especially since the excessive use of fossil fuels is a direct cause of global warming. According to NASA, global temperature has risen by two degrees Fahrenheit since the nineteenth century, which has had a massive effect on oceans and ice sheets. The ocean has absorbed some of the excess heat, which has caused ice sheets to melt, which has led to major flooding in several coastal areas around the world. Prioritizing the transfer from fossil fuels to nuclear energy is essential, not only for the survival of humanity, but also for the survival of our planet.
So long as the usage of nuclear power plants is regulated so as to reduce the potential consequences of nuclear energy, switching to this clean energy source could be the first step to changing our ways and saving our beloved planet. The use of nuclear energy could truly change our planet for the better. Despite current dangerous statistics in relation to climate change and global warming, there is still time. We do not have much time, but we have enough time to rapidly change our ways and save our planet, and by saving our planet, we are saving ourselves.
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