To many it was just another day at Chernobyl, but what they didn’t know would haunt them for the rest of their lives. The marveling sight of one of the nuclear reactors filled with uranium would make anybody want to become a nuclear engineer.
Alexander Yuvchenko was one of them.
He was on duty at Chernobyl’s reactor no. 4, overseeing its cooling. The regular safety tests for the reactors had been put off for a few more hours, a deadly mistake that caused the deaths and suffering for dozens, if not hundreds of people. Minutes before the explosion he was in his office with a colleague, talking over some documents. But something happened afterwards that shook him to his core.
“The first thing I heard wasn’t an explosion, it was a thud, a shaking. Then two or three seconds later came the explosion. The doors of my office were blown out. It was like when an old building is demolished, with clouds of dust, but combined with lots of steam,” said Alexander in an interview on the Discovery Channel when issues arose about the nuclear reactor. Despite the problem being the reactors, many thought otherwise, such as a war had erupted. What they didn’t know however was that they were taking large amounts of radiation every second.
The operators of the power plant did the test despite a drop in reactor power, and due to a design issue, attempting to shut down the reactor in those conditions resulted in a huge power surge. The reactor components completely broke and lost coolant, and the explosions and meltdown destroyed the reactor building.
Afterwards a reactor core fire happened that spread radioactive contaminants across the Soviet Union and Europe as a whole. Despite the fact the death toll was low (31), thousands of workers and residents were affected from cancer and other illnesses due to the radiation.
Not only were human lives affected, but so was the environment. Dogs that lived near the nuclear power plant are now experiencing “rapid evolution” along with rapid mutations due to living near the area. The animals currently undergoing changes include not only dogs, but also frogs. Frogs in the area have turned black, which in turn helps them cope against high levels of radiation and survive. These factors have shown how the Chernobyl incident has affected anything near it, not only humans but surrounding wildlife as well.
The reactor that exploded so long ago still has its effects loom as the radiation cannot be contained by Ukraine, and the disaster occurred while running a test to simulate cooling the reactor during an accident in some blackout conditions.
Alexander, and many others like him, are victims to something that could have been prevented had the Soviet Union placed safety above all else. He talks of how horrifying the sight was, “Everything that could be destroyed had been.” Despite this, he continues his support of nuclear energy, and says how, “I’m fine about it, as long as safety is put head and shoulders above any other concern, financial or whatever.”
Everyone wishes for a future where climate change is either significantly reduced, or even fully reversed. However, that future can never be achieved without nuclear energy’s help, no matter what you think of it. It cannot produce direct carbon dioxide emissions unlike fossil fuels, and it is obvious the current state of the Earth will never be reversed without more countries adapting nuclear energy as one of their main energy sources.
“Nuclear fuel is extremely dense. It’s about 1 million times greater than that of other traditional energy sources and because of this, the amount of used nuclear fuel is not as big as you might think. All of the used nuclear fuel produced by the U.S. nuclear energy industry over the last 60 years could fit on a football field at a depth of less than 10 yards!”
In the past, nuclear energy has been widely shunned due to the nuclear waste having nowhere to be placed and the safety concerns of nuclear plants. The concerns over nuclear plants is reasonable however, events such as the accident of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, where the no. 4 reactor exploded, could have been easily prevented.
This event sparked an effect across not only America, but the whole world as a whole, which changed people’s perception of nuclear energy from either good or neutral, to completely hating it and viewing it as a threat to human and environmental safety.
Another event that has only caused damage to nuclear energy’s reputation is the Fukushima Daiichi Incident in Japan, 2011, where a devastating earthquake hit & disabled a power supply line and cooling of multiple nuclear reactors which caused a nuclear accident. This accident led to the death of over 2,000, and also led to contaminated water because of leaks from one of the reactors.
As much as 100,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes, and to this day some still aren’t allowed back. This is due to the dangerous, lingering radiation that has yet to go away even decades later with a lot of areas that are contaminated.
These events still have a lasting impact not only on their surrounding environment but also public opinion in modern times. Just as the past, the present still has a lot of anti-nuclear energy groups including protestors and advocacy groups who aim to prevent more accidents by molding someone’s opinion to hate nuclear energy rather than support it.
With more and more countries adapting nuclear energy such as the U.S., China, Russia, even the U.K., issues are always going to arise. This includes radioactive waste management, accidents and risks including radiation leaks, and finally the extreme costs and expenses. The broad list of issues that come with nuclear energy has not only made this a national issue within the United States, but an international problem for any country trying to integrate the power source into it.
Nuclear Waste has always been an issue for any country that uses nuclear energy as it comes out as a result of any nuclear activity. However, the amount of nuclear waste that comes from a nuclear power Plant is insanely dense, despite this the waste continues to grow due to the increased usage of nuclear energy. Even though nuclear Waste is a product of nuclear energy fission
Not only does nuclear waste pose a risk factor, but so does nuclear radiation. It can be very deadly to human life and poses a significant threat if a person comes into contact with one. This threat is so big, places where nuclear accidents have occurred like Chernobyl, which makes areas extremely deadly for a human. However, Dr. Pihura states how in current times “we make sure that every single nuclear power plant has many many fail safes,” showing how much improvements have been made to the nuclear sector.
Nuclear Energy is becoming a huge global trend that a lot of countries are following, and despite its risk it also has benefits. Its zero-carbon emissions, (zero air pollution), and reliability make it a favorite energy source amongst some people.
But there’s one risk that cannot be ignored. Nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons have, always will be, a global issue. Attempts at banning them to prevent nuclear war have been made, and have also been largely successful. However with civilian nuclear reactors being made more accessible to countries, these nuclear reactors can also aid in a nuclear weapons program.
There is already some suspicion around this with Iran’s Nuclear Program, mainly because the “Iran Deal”, a 10-year old Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action has expired. Satellites seem to have picked up on possible signs of renewed nuclear activity. This further adds speculation on expanding nuclear energy to countries where the threat of nuclear weapons can come.
Despite the immense amounts of issues and concerns surrounding Nuclear Energy, in 2025 its reputation is better than ever and we are entering a “nuclear renaissance“. Multiple countries like Rwanda and Senegal, the United States, Russia, even Iran have begun funding a lot of money towards their own nuclear goals. However, this doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with a plentiful amount of its own implications. Teacher Assistant Haifa believes other Renewable Energy (hydro, solar, wind) is better over nuclear energy due to the fact it’s “better for our planet, especially when it comes to the risks nuclear Energy brings versus these other Renewable Energy sources.”
A big reason as to why some countries are funding and investing into nuclear energy is because of Artificial Intelligence and the large amounts of energy it is consuming day by day. We see this on ABC News, where Trump media is planning to merge with a nuclear fusion company that wants to power AI. It’s a mutual deal as these very companies plan not only to power the AI, but use it for their own benefits.
“AI supports predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and optimization of thermal performance,” said from the IAEA, a leading intergovernmental organization when it comes to nuclear energy. And while this could help prevent another incident such as the Chernobyl
Disaster, many do not trust AI and do want it in the sector for a multitude of reasons. The demands of AI’s energy is a “nuclear waste nightmare”. This is said mainly because AI data centers require large amounts of Nuclear Energy to both power and cool them down.
However, many protest these ideas. Some sources, such as the Chatham House, believe AI being integrated into nuclear-decision making structures is a risk in itself. This includes potential errors in judgement, or false positives like a system trained on other crisis data would “misinterpret signals in a nuclear crisis.”
Since these outrageous demands of electricity are needed, nuclear power plants will be working much more than usual. The significant increase in nuclear fission results in much more nuclear waste, and mixed in with the fact that humanity currently has no solution for the problem of nuclear waste and how to dispose of it, means it is indeed a nightmare.
Another, and potentially the worst issue that arises with the increased usage of nuclear Energy is the vast amounts of waste that will be left behind as the world focuses on a “clean-energy” path. Dr. Pihura says “nuclear waste problem is a concern however it does seem that dropping the nuclear waste for now into abandoned mineshafts does seem to be working quite well because it’s very very contained it’s far away from people it’s not causing any damage and overall there is also a lot of research going into ways to reuse that materials so I don’t think that the concern about the nuclear waste should outweigh the very pressing concerns right now of carbon emissions from coal and gas.” Specifically this problem is in America, which is the world’s leading powerhouse of nuclear Power, especially after the pitch of a 80,000,000,000 plan to expand America’s nuclear Energy.
iSchool science teacher Mr. Zimmerman says it’s “the biggest problem with nuclear energy”. Nuclear waste has a huge risk to it that can and if humans make contact with it would lead to harm from the radiation. Its cost is very expensive if you want to dispose of it, and it is much cheaper for nations to mine for new uranium rather than reusing it as that process is also very expensive.
All of these concerns have one thing in common, which is costs. Nuclear energy is a very cost-dependent sector that is not cheap at all and requires large amounts of money to run properly while also being slow to develop. Despite this, the sector continues to move forward even with all the cons.
As it has been repeated many times before, nuclear energy has been stated to be one of the best energy-replacements for non-renewable energy sources as a zero/low carbon energy source. Not only does it have such a low-carbon footprint, but the immense amounts of energy it produces while leaving small nuclear waste is amazing. To some like Ms. Walsh, it seems “As of right now nuclear energy gives us the most amount of energy with the least amount of drawbacks of pollution and waste.”
With the boom in activity relating to the nuclear energy sector, you could see it benefitting you vastly. Nuclear power plants produce electricity without emitting greenhouse gases which leads to better public health, these plants also help mitigate climate change with their major source of emission-free power/energy.
While health and environmental benefits come with the replacement of non-renewable energy sources with nuclear energy, there are also economic benefits. Nuclear energy drives job creation, it creates well-paid, stable and long-term jobs–many of which don’t require a college degree as well, ensuring anybody has an opportunity to work within these jobs.
The reliability that nuclear energy brings is also a factor that can impact one, nuclear generators (compared to regular power generators) are significantly more reliable with their capacity. Nuclear generators run at full power >92-94% compared to standard power generators running at full power only >50-80%, leading to much more consistent and reliable energy distributed to homes.
Not only does it concern you, but (if you plan on it), your future children. Studies show that climate change will affect the people of the future as well if no plans are taken now to stop climate change. The negative news has been said, now for the good: these risks can be stopped as we have the resources to do so. It is no secret how nuclear power will play an important part in lowering national emissions in the future. “The urgent need to reduce emissions and slow global heating, should involve the roll-out of more nuclear power stations,” regional UN energy experts argue.
And now finally, you may be asking. “What can I do?” There are a plethora of ways to get involved. Supporting advocacy groups such as the NEI or Nuclear Matters can help immensely and is one of the best ways to get involved. These groups focus on promoting nuclear energy, granting people public education on nuclear energy itself, including benefits. While they focus on this, they also focus on building the nuclear energy industrial sector, supply chains and more. Another recognized method is contacting nuclear energy policymakers and voicing your concerns, furthermore, staying informed on nuclear energy developments and technologies is yet another way to contribute to the nuclear energy sector.
However, if you wish to voice your support locally, you could even spread awareness, make arguments for nuclear energy, and help clear concerns, through contact with your community. It would never hurt!
