Fossil Fuels Are By Far The Largest Source Of Electricity In The World Today. Co

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Term Paper Title	Fossil Fuels Are By Far The Largest Source Of Electricity In The World Today. Co
# of Words	606
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	2.42

Fossil fuels are by far the largest source of electricity in the world today. Coal, alone, accounts for about 42% of electric power (Beck 65). Therefore, fossil fuels provide an obvious point of comparison to rate the nuclear industry's standards.
First, nuclear power has some disadvantages worthy of attention:
* Nuclear power plants have dangerously high radioactive levels. The radioactivity is entirely
contained within the plant, but the possibility exists that some of it might leak to the outside
environment during an accident. Over time, new designs, stricter regulations and better
technology are reducing the risk of radioactive leaks.
* Waste produced by the power plant must be disposed somewhere, but it remains intensely
radioactive for long periods of time. Therefore, nuclear waste must be permanently isolated
from society in special facilities. Building suitable facilities requires a lot of time and money
to ensure complete isolation.
* New nuclear power plant designs take a long time to implement. This time delay is due to
multiple regulatory agencies and boards of approval that the nuclear industry must satisfy.
* At the end of their lifetimes, usually about 40 years of operation, nuclear power plants must
be decommissioned. Plant materials remain fairly radioactive for many years after operation
has ceased, so disassembly cannot occur until the levels return to a safe range. This waiting
period usually takes about 20 years.
* Anti-nuclear activists believe that the nuclear industry greatly increases the chance of
plutonium theft. Conceivably, terrorists could steal stores of plutonium and attempt to make
a nuclear weapon. To deter such an endeavor, plutonium is weighed before and after
shipment. Furthermore, constructing a nuclear weapon requires extreme expertise. Still,
the possibility does exist.
These disadvantages include some serious issues that cann...

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