Is nuclear energy... an option for Australia? Yes, nuclear energy is an alternative to fossil fuels, but is it safe? No, I think not. Nuclear energy is a danger to the environment and everything in it and this report will detail the pros and cons of this risky alternative and look at other possibilities for meeting our daily energy needs. It might help you understand my views if you know how nuclear energy works. There is a large amount of energy found in the nucleus of the atom. This is where nuclear energy comes from. The fuel used by nuclear power plants for nuclear fission is uranium. Uranium is not renewable. Uranium, U-235, is used because its atoms can be easily split. Once uranium is mined, U-235 must be mined and processed before it can be used. During nuclear fission, a particle called a neutron hits the uranium atom and splits it, releasing a huge amount of energy in the form of heat and radiation. More neutrons are released and these neutrons continue to bombard other uranium atoms and the process repeats. This is called a chain reaction. Fission generates heat in a reactor, and then the heat boils water into steam. The steam spins huge turbine blades that, as they spin, drive generators that produce electricity. Next, the steam is converted back to water and cooled in a cooling tower. The water can be used over and over again. (This water usage is also concerning). After all this has happened and uranium can no longer be used, what do we do with it? Throw it into a nearby river? Or maybe bury it underground, where no one knows it's there? “The issue of safe disposal of radioactive waste and obsolete facilities has not been resolved,” [1] says environmentalist David Suzuki. Jeremy Rifkin agrees. “Sixty years later… middle of paper… we could no longer value anything else. There are too many variables in the case. Nuclear plants can be controlled like the one at Three Mile Island, but then there is the case of Chernobyl. So, due to the possible dangers of nuclear electricity, I am against it. But do we ultimately want to benefit from hurting innocent people who aren't even born yet? Think about it. Situated works: “If planet Earth could vote”. An article by David Suzuki "Going Nuclear-A Green Makes the Case". By Patrick Moore, Washington Post-Sunday, April 16, 2006. “More threat than panacea.” By Jeremy Rifkin, The Age-4 October 2006. “Nuclear energy has a proven track record of safety and security.” Michael Angwin, The Age-17 October 2006.http://www.naturaledgeproject.net/TheGreatSustainabilityDebates-NuclearPower.aspxhttp://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/nuclear.html