In our search for sustainable energy, we explore and practice the use of many resources in hopes that

one of these could be sustainable enough for us to make the final shift off of fossil fuels and save the
very little natural environment we have left. For this assessment to be rightfully made there are a
number of aspects that need to be taken into consideration. All costs whether they be social,
environmental or business costs are very much taken into account. One such resource of energy is
Nuclear Fuel. Nuclear power is capable to create a huge reserve of energy if done right, however at the
same time it poses its own issues, it being the management of nuclear waste or the handling and
extraction of nuclear ore, similarly the social and societal costs that relate to the running and operation
of a nuclear power plant.

Nuclear power has existed since the 1930s and it has been tested out in the field extensively, we’ve thus
seen the drastic effects of improper management as well. The biggest threat that nuclear power
presents is radioactive pollution. Although nuclear reactors don’t produce direct carbon dioxide
emissions while operating like fossil fuels do, the processing and mining of the uranium ore itself causes
for fossil fuels to be used and thus pollution by them to be caused. A breach in the security and safety
systems held in place at the reactor could lead to heavy contamination of air and water surrounding or
in proximity to the reactor. Similarly nuclear waste and improper management of such leads to land
pollution. The thermal excess produced in itself is a great contributor to thermal pollution. Such a
breach was seen when (Wikipedia, 2017)The population situated near the KANUPP plant was at a potential
high risk for air, water and thermal pollution, moreover the staff that worked at the plant were at an even
greater risk. A very imminent threat is also posed when the management of nuclear waste is made a sector to
cut costs on. Radioactive waste unlike normal waste cannot be left untreated as it contaminates all that it
comes in contact with, be it air water or even us humans.

Radioactive pollution can be the start of very dire problems, for the people that reside in that locality as well
as the wildlife and nature that exists there. A drastic impact is seen on the instance of a high-level radioactive
contamination leak such as we see from history and medical investigation how there have been many cases
reported after the Chernobyl incident, of genetic mutations, development of diseases, soil infertility and Cell
damage. These are just the very few out of numerous other problems that impact the life around an incident
of radioactive nature. We take Chernobyl as a learning example as it showed us the extent of damage
mishandling of a nuclear reactor can do, where we saw (Accident"., 2008), this caused for a very high degree
of radioactive contamination of drinking water for all sorts of life. People were also diagnosed with cancer
due to the exposure to high level radiation, it was roughly estimated that cancer deaths caused by Chernobyl
may have reached a total of about 4,000 among the five million people residing in the contaminated areas.

All these societal costs and risks being as they may, the industry has come a long way and there has been
drastic advancements in technology providing us with better and more efficient safety systems to prevent
any such radioactive incident from happening ever again. The industry has set up very strict standards and
regulations that every reactor must be held to, to be allowed to run safely. Similarly, all future nuclear
projects are planned to be situated as far away from population as can be, just as a safety net in the case of
an emergency. The government along with private nuclear security and waste management firms have also
made policies and set up teams and offices to make sure these laws are implemented for the security of their
people. These measures include some direct measures such as the construction of a concrete dome around
the plant itself which became an industry standard soon enough and it isolates the majority of radiation risks
to the environment outside. Similarly, the use of (https://www.eia.gov/, 2009)” design made from special
elements that have radiation absorption qualities providing an additional layer of protection. The
government also had intervention where they had private competent firms perform system checks and drills
to ensure everything continues to run smoothly, this along with providing adequate working equipment to
the staff hired for the plant and their periodic medical examinations to be vary of any effect the working
conditions may have. Proper committees and organizations have been setup that plan beforehand the
management of nuclear waste and make sure that it is safe and poses no threat to life around it to prevent
any and all forms of nuclear pollution to the best of their ability.

Nuclear energy regardless of its shortcomings is a great choice when we speak of sustainable energy
production, it provides very large amounts of energy using very little working resources. It does seems to
pose very high societal costs, however looking at how far we’ve come with technology and advancements
there is definitely prospect for it to be improved and made even more efficient and especially pose less of a
threat to life and society.

Bibliography
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_Pakistan#:~:text=Pakistan%20Government%20plans
%20for%20lifting,of%201000%20MWe%2C%20all%20PWR. (2017). Retrieved from
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https://paec.gov.pk/NuclearPower/. (2011). https://paec.gov.pk/NuclearPower/. Retrieved from

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https://www.eia.gov/. (2009). Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/nuclear-

power-and-the-environment.php#:~:text=Nuclear%20energy%20produces%20radioactive
%20waste,health%20for%20thousands%20of%20years.

Wikipedia. (2017). wikipedia. Retrieved from wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_Pakistan#:~:text=Pakistan%20Government
%20plans%20for%20lifting,of%201000%20MWe%2C%20all%20PWR.