Nuclear power

Today was like any other day in the arctic for me. I ate some fish sticks, talked with skii and played some games. Today, we played tag. Playing tag with the polar bears is fun. After every one was done with what they were doing, they all came to me so I could tell them about nuclear power. "Nuclear power is very dangerous. If anything goes wrong in the reactor, it could explode and spew out radioactive material. But if you use it right, a nuclear reactor can produce a lot of energy. In a nuclear reactor, uranium rods are placed in water. The rods produce lots of heat which heats the water. The water vapors then power a steam turbine that produces electricity. One nuclear power plant can produce a lot of energy. That is why we use this dangerous method. There was this one incident that you guys might have felt here in 1986. Near Pripyat, Ukraine, a nuclear power plant became unstable and exploded. The radiation won't kill someone immediately, but will cause cancer. The material floated over many countries and affected many people. But nuclear power plants produce about 19% of the United States. Some countries depend more on nuclear power. 79% of Frances electrical production is from nuclear power plants. But another problem with nuclear power plants is that the uranium becomes waste after a while. This waste is radioactive so we humans bury the uranium underground. We don't have to worry about the waste affecting us because it is put into a very strong container but we have to take a lot of space to put these containers underground. There is also a worry that the waste will be used as a weapon. There have been incidents where plant workers tried to sell some of the waste. The countries have increased security so they can prevent this. Nuclear power is very efficient if you can make it safe" I finished my lecture and a small bear raised his hand and asked, "Does the nuclear power plant release any bad gases into the air?" I replied "no, the power plant does not release any gases into the air. I hope you guys know what nuclear power is now. That is it I think I am done with everything." "What about hydro power?" the little kid said "Oh, right, that is what I will start with later. Okay, I need to eat lunch now." At lunch, I was thinking about nuclear power. It puts too many lives in danger if something goes wrong. Radiation can travel very far, hurting other countries. It is, however, a method that does not contribute to global warming. I just hope that with our technology, we can use nuclear power with assurance that nothing wrong will happen.