NUCLEAR ENERGY (A PODCAST FOR SCHOOL)

Welcome to our podcast We will have the subject of nuclear energy and its pros and... And its cons Exactly I am here today with Logan And I am here today with Eli Um, I'll start off with my first pro to get us started Nuclear energy is a clean energy source with no emissions, unlike fossil fuels such as coal and oil Um, I do think what you're saying is very interesting It is true that nuclear energy is a more clean energy source compared to like coal But, you also gotta remember the cost of making these plants and rotating it When you do the math, the total cost of making nuclear power is about two times or double the amount of making something like a coal plant or an oil mining field That is true, although I do believe that maintaining one is about the same cost Also, an important thing, even though it is expensive, it also, nuclear energy, is sustainable As in, we won't run out for a long time Um, there is, uh, there's a kind of reactor out there called a breeder reactor that could theoretically run for four billion years This is enough power for a long time, although I do not believe what has been constructed Um, also, it is a plentiful resource and makes a lot of energy when it is used Um, like you said about this power being used for a long time Um, as you may know, the main power that is used for, like, the main material used for creating this power is uranium More specifically, enriched uranium, which mines out a whole bunch of the uranium and makes it for a smaller amount that just has most of the power Um, uranium is already a very rare ore Um, according to studies, um, most of the uranium, if not all of it, that is on the earth will be gone by the end of the century, which will hinder the movement of nuclear energy unless they build that, um, greeter plant While that is true, uh, the, uh, nuclear energy, in fact, is not a one-time thing Uranium, uh, gives off Radiation, which is a danger, of course But, since the 1970s, we have had the ability to recycle energy And, in fact, there is enough nuclear waste in the country right now to fuel the U.S. in the next 250 years Well, that is a very good point I'd also like to point out that nuclear waste, um, is, once again, made mainly out of uranium Uranium is known for being very dangerous, which can cause diseases and multiple cancers, such as kidney cancer I'd also like to point out the fact that nuclear waste can be, uh, radioactive for about four and a half billion years, which is longer than those, uh, greeter plants and is more effective, uh, in, like, hurting people, which is not good This is true, but I do believe, if I'm correct, most nuclear waste isn't lethally radioactive Um, even if it is, though, I do believe that we can, again, recycle most of it, uh, to cut down on the nuclear material that's still inside Also, uh, nuclear energy is, um, unlike coal, it is not finite Coal is actually, um, ancient plants that have decayed and become pure carbon Uh, that is not found naturally in our galaxy Uh, but, however, uranium is, um, a material, it's a compound, meaning that we can find it in other places, uh, easier, or at all, compared to coal So you're saying, uh, uranium can be found in space Exactly, yes And, uh, since we have enough power for the next 250 years, it's not, uh, impossible that we find another source within those centuries Um, well, what you're saying is, uh, valid and is, uh, important in your claim I would also like to point out the dangers of a nuclear power plant is, say, something were to happen, go wrong Uh, take, for example, the, uh, Fukushima disaster in, uh, 2011 Um, an earthquake, a combo of an earthquake and a tsunami occurred, um, which shut off all the power in the grid and, uh, let off the second highest destructive, like, the second highest nuclear meltdown in history Um, it has a scale of 7 on the nuclear energy board, or something, I think it's called that But, um, that's the high scale it is, which is only matched by Chernobyl, which, uh, Chernobyl, as you may know, was, um, a city in Ukraine that was, uh, devastated with, uh, air in its nuclear, uh, power plant Which shows just that any simple error or any simple disaster as near it can cause the devastation of most surrounding areas around it Yes, that is true. However, I would like to also stress that nuclear meltdowns are exceedingly rare and do not often happen In fact, you said yourself the reason why the Fukushima disaster even happened was because of a tsunami and, uh, we said tornado An earthquake Earthquake, sorry Yeah Earthquake and tsunami mix, which I do not think is what happened to most landlocked, uh, um, nuclear reactors, and it's still even rare for nuclear reactors in, say, California, uh, or other areas. I think Japan does get a lot of tsunamis Yeah, it is a very earthquake and tsunami prone area Yes, um, however, when one does happen, it is devastating. However, it does not remain as deadly as many people think. In fact, I believe both areas have been, um, home to wildlife lately, uh, and have returned to an almost livable area. However, not quite, so that people can go back there, of course Mm-hmm Well, I think that, uh, concludes our topics that we have Yes. So, let's get to our finishing, uh, most grand question, I guess. Uh, do you think that nuclear energy should be pursued in the future? I think it should be because it is a clean energy source that can last a while. Uh, how do you feel I feel as if nuclear energy has both its pros and its cons, but, um, I think that in the future, um, it should probably be used a bit more than it is right now Alright, well, that's our part of our podcast project Um, thank you for listening. Uh, stick around for some credits Yeah Yeah. Thank you, and goodbye Thank you Hey! Thank you for, uh, sitting through our podcast. You made it to the credits. Congratulations Um, all music was written and produced by Eli S-L and Logan G All artwork made for this podcast was conceived by Logan G and drawn by Eli S-L Once again, thank you for sitting through our podcast. Have a great day