Nuclear energy conversation questions

Nuclear energy

 * What opinion do environmentalists have about nuclear energy?
 * Do any environmental organisations support nuclear energy?
 * What are the disadvantages of nuclear energy?
 * What are the advantages of nuclear power?
 * Do you think that nuclear power plants are inherently unstable?
 * Do you think that nuclear power stations could literally "blow up" like a nuclear bomb?
 * What options do we have for dealing with nuclear waste?
 * Which is more dangerous to human life over the next two hundred years - spent nuclear fuel or carbon dioxide/global warming?
 * Would you rather live next to a nuclear power plant than a coal-fired one? Why?
 * Could nuclear energy help the third world to develop carbon-free economies?
 * No energy source is completely carbon free. In what parts of the nuclear generation process is carbon dioxide released?
 * Given the fact that human beings make mistakes and that low-probability unexpected accidents and events occur - should we simply accept that we will have a significant nuclear accident every twenty to thirty years?
 * Is nuclear energy a boon or a bane for society?

Other considerations

 * What percentage of the world’s energy could be obtained from renewable sources?
 * If less than 100% can be obtained from renewable sources, from where should the rest be obtained?
 * Should cars be banned because they pollute the environment? Are there any other reasons for banning cars?
 * Do coal fired stations produce any other problem in addition to carbon dioxide?
 * Do dams cause problems? What are they?

Nuclear weapons

 * Does nuclear power lead inevitably to nuclear weapons?
 * Some countries have nuclear weapons and others do not. Can some countries be "trusted" with nuclear weapons and others not? If so, on what should we base this trust?
 * What would be the consequences of a nuclear war?
 * Do you think that nuclear weapons have kept the peace, or do you think they have been a threat to peace?
 * If a country has nuclear weapons do you think it is more likely to be attacked or less likely to be attacked?

For the more technically minded
(These questions will really only work with students who actually know something about the subject.)


 * What is the difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission?
 * What do the words "half life" mean?
 * What is the difference between normal hydrogen, deuterium and tritium?
 * What does "critical mass" refer to?
 * What is a "chain reaction" in nuclear terms?
 * Is there any difference between "radiation" and "nuclear radiation" - what is it?
 * What is the difference between alpha, beta, gamma radiation and neutron radiation? Which are the most dangerous?
 * One sometimes hears reference to "cold fusion" - what was it?