Nuclear Power

This year two candidates will debate back and forth on many different topics on their way to the Presidency of the United States. The main topic of discussion this go around is likely to be the economy. If I were the man running opposite of the incumbent I would bring forward the issue of clean energy. I would run on a platform that would be dedicate government funding to develop a source of energy that would create jobs, benefit the environment and provide a safe alternative to nuclear power. The possibility of another meltdown similar to Chernobyl and Fukushima happening in the United States is something the people of America need to consider.

The Chernobyl nuclear meltdown disaster occurred in 1986 in the Ukraine. The cause of the meltdown was a faulty reactor and mistakes made by plant operators. There were nearly 60 people killed due to the meltdown. The environmental impact is the actual disaster. Over 125,000 square miles of land in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine with radionucleotides. Multiple health issues have risen with the population which are thought to be the cause of the meltdown.

On March 11th 2011 a similar meltdown occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan. The catalyst for this event was a tsunami which killed over 20,000 people. Not a single person died however at the hands of the meltdown. It will take at least 10 years to clean up the radiation located at the area evacuated around the plant. Over 90,000 people have had to leave their homes which were located around the site.

Another form of renewable energy which is available is hydropower. This form of energy is produced using running water to create electricity. The most common form of hydropower is the dams. One fifth of the world's electricity is generated using hydropower. The main concern of this type of energy is the disruption a dam causes to ecosystems.

In the grand scheme of things changing the natural habitat by creating a dam is far less damaging to the world than a nuclear meltdown. It is arrogant and irresponsible for human beings to continue using this form of energy knowing the type of damage that can be caused. The fact that 90,000 people have to uproot their families because some politicians were to ignorant to the create a stronger barrier around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is ridiculous. But not as ridiculous as the fact that the Power Station was even ever built. Knowing that hydropower, windpower and solar power are all available there is no viable excuse to keep using nuclear power. If I were a legitimate politician or "official maker of decisions" as a certain former Republican President would say, I would make a serious push to:

1. Rid the United States of all forms of nuclear power

2. Rally the UN to help the rest of the world get rid of Nuclear Power

3. Further