Oral Content: 

Topic: Implications of the Nuclear Renaissance 

Purpose: Promote a view of nuclear energy as a safe energy 

Thesis Statement: Although nuclear energy seems terrifying, this is only due to a media-induced heightened risk perception – nuclear is far less scary than carbon-emitting energy sources and the implications of climate change. It is up to us to change the image of nuclear energy and encourage the nuclear renaissance 

Introduction / Attention Strategy:  

What do you think about when you think of nuclear energy? Maybe it’s the image of a nuclear plant, the two large smokestacks in the distance. Maybe, hopefully it’s the promise of clean energy. But for a lot of people, it may be something darker, like the explosions of Hiroshima.  

The first time I was introduced to the word “nuclear” was in elementary school. There I learned two things about the word “nuclear” – if you call a bomb nuclear, it makes a really large explosion, and nuclear things are radioactive, which is bad (source, “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons). I also recall the start of high school, watching the HBO Chernobyl documentary — witnessing the destruction of a nuclear disaster; the terror, chaos and uncertainty experienced by the citizens of the area; and the death from radiation poisoning, perhaps the worst way to die. I remember driving past the Limerick Nuclear Plant, not too far from my house, and feeling a deep sense of unease in its towering presence. It may surprise you then to know, that I chose to major in and devote my career to nuclear engineering. Why would I do that? Because there are things much scarier than nuclear energy 

Body:  

• Main Idea: Carbon-emitting sources already kill far more people than nuclear energy 

• This idea of risk perception heavily influences the public view of nuclear energy 
• large scale disasters, such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, seem straight out of science fiction. They are noticeable on a global scale and stand out in public memory.  
• But think about it, what other nuclear disasters were there? Out of the 500+ nuclear reactors, only 3 have experienced meltdowns, and only two of those caused any deaths or health effects (TMI caused no deaths and released negligible radiation into the environment) 
• Meanwhile, other forms of energy are far more dangerous, and we don’t even realize it! 
• *Explain chart of deaths per unit energy* 
• Coal plants are 800 times more dangerous than nuclear, and natural gas around 94 times as dangerous! 

• Main Idea: Climate Change is a far greater terror than nuclear energy 

• I believe that there is something that should be feared way more than nuclear energy: climate change 
• We can already see the way climate change is impacting the world: heightened temperatures, droughts, forest fires, severe hurricanes. 
• This will all continue to worsen if we continue using our current energy methods 
• *Explain 2050 Prediction Map* 
• Nuclear energy produces no greenhouse gases, no carbon emissions. Nuclear energy, optimally with help from renewable energy can reverse this change. But we need to accept it.  

• Main Idea: The nuclear energy industry is adjusting to help achieve these benefits to human life 

• Right now, there is a change happening.  
• Over the past fifteen years, the world has seen a doubling in the amount of reactor projects under construction. 
• *Show graph of reactor startups* here we can see a continual increase in the amount of new nuclear plant startups 
• In fact earlier this year, reactor unit 3 at the Vogtle unit plant in Georgia was brought online, the first new US reactor to do so in twenty years. Reactor unit 4 is currently being fueled and tested, and set to come online and generate commercial power by the end of this year 
• In 2019, a survey from American Nuclear Society saw this distribution of opinions on nuclear energy *Show pie chart* 

Conclusion: Right now, we can see a shift in public acceptance of nuclear energy. Data from last year shows that majority of Americans are in favor of nuclear energy, for the first time in the past thirty years. This growth in the nuclear industry, the nuclear renaissance can save lives. But it is up to all of us to continue this momentum. We must all work together to promote a factual view of nuclear energy. We must work together to stop climate change and carbon pollution. We must save the world.  

References: 

Nuclear Energy – Our World in Data 

Climate world map | Special reports | guardian.co.uk (theguardian.com) 

World Nuclear Power Reactors 1951–2023 (worldnuclearreport.org) 

Visual Content: 

• Slide one – gif of nuclear bomb, radioactive by imagine dragons song cover, Chernobyl, limerick nuclear plant – to show examples of my personal anecdote 
• Slide 2,3,4,5 – Chart of deaths per unit energy 
• Slide 6 – Climate change predictions 
• Slide 7 – Chart of nuclear reactor startups 
• Slide 8 – Chart of public opinion 
• Slide 9 – Vogtle 3 Reactor 
• Slide 10 – Slide contrasting the first one, portraying nuclear as helpful