More Thoughts on Nuclear Energy

What is the biggest challenge associated with the use of nuclear power?

Unfortunately, the use of nuclear power poses a risk that will not easily be resolved. That risk is global security. As history has taught us, nuclear power can be used as a source of energy or as a deadly weapon. As long as conflicts exist between nations with the capability to produce nuclear energy, that threat will remain. This threat mars the face of scientific progress. Nuclear weapons may ensure the safety of one country, but they jeopardize the well-being of another.

Don't get me wrong, I think that nuclear weapons are a necessary evil, but I am still saddened by the inevitable threat that they will always pose. The Nuclear Information and Resource Service "...aims to educate wider audiences about the connection between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the parallel pathways to a safer world free from these dual dangers."

For more information, please visit their website at http://www.nirs.org/

What countries encourage further exploration of the peaceful use of nuclear power?

Australia, France, Japan, the Slovak Republic, Austria, Germany, Korea, Spain, Belgium, Greece, Luxembourg, Sweden, Canada, Hungary, Mexico, Switzerland, Czecch Republic, Iceland, Netherlands, Turkey, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, United Kingdom, Finland, Italy, Portugal, and the United States are all members of the Nuclear Energy Agency, the NEA. Together these countries make up about "...85% of the world's installed nuclear power."

The current membership includes "...28 countries, in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region." "The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is a specialized agency within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of industrialised countries, based in Paris, France."

The NEA's mission "... is to assist its Member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for the safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."
-quotes taken from http://www.nea.fr/html/nea/flyeren.html

In conclusion...

Clearly, nuclear power has both pros and cons. Depending on who you ask, one side will outweigh the other. Many will argue that nuclear energy is cost efficient, while others will counter that it is, in fact, the most expensive means of producing power. I believe that the many proposed benefits of nuclear power are encouraging. While there are many risks involved with the implementation of nuclear power, I feel that the source should be studied further. With time, we may find a solution to issues such as the threat of meltdowns and radition and wate disposal. However, I do not necessarily foresee a resolution to the issue of national and global security being reached after any amount of study. Sadly, dangerous dictators will always aim to turn energy dreams into nuclear nightmares.