Climate Change

The word "nuclear" has a very negative stigma around it, and for good reason. Nuclear weapons are extremely dangerous, and when talking about nuclear power, the first things people think about are Chernobyl, the plant in Ukraine that went out of control, and Fukushima Daiichi, a Japanese nuclear power plant which suffered major damage from a magnitude 9 earthquake followed by a tsunami, disabling the plant to this day. Despite this, I believe nuclear power should be Australia's main source of energy for a few reasons:

1. Location. Australia is rich in uranium deposits, meaning we don't need to rely on expensive imports to keep our lights on. Additionally, 95% of Australia is uninhabited, giving us plenty of space to build plants far enough away, improving safety for everyone. Lastly, Australia does not experience tsunamis or earthquakes, which can cause a lot of damage to nuclear plants, but because of our perfect geography, we can forget about that.

2. Sustainability. I believe that building nuclear power plants in Australia would be a sustainable choice for our energy future. Nuclear energy produces almost no greenhouse gas emissions, which supports our climate goals by helping to reduce CO₂ levels. It also has an incredibly high energy density, meaning a small amount of nuclear fuel generates large amounts of electricity, making it ideal for meeting our growing energy demands without the environmental impact of fossil fuels. Plus, nuclear power provides consistent energy, unaffected by weather, which makes it a perfect complement to renewables like solar and wind, helping us maintain a stable power grid.

3. Waste Production. When it comes to waste production, nuclear power has some surprisingly positive aspects. Although nuclear plants produce radioactive waste, the volume of this waste is relatively small compared to the massive amounts of waste generated by fossil fuels. In fact, all the nuclear waste produced globally over the past 60 years could fit into a single football field stacked about 10 meters high. Newer reactor technologies, like advanced reactors and breeder reactors, are designed to reuse and recycle spent fuel, further reducing waste volume and making better use of the fuel's energy potential. Additionally, nuclear waste is carefully contained, monitored, and stored to prevent environmental contamination, and research continues to improve long-term storage methods, ensuring that nuclear remains one of the cleanest options when managed responsibly.