ES110 Lecture 6: Es110 Lecture 6
Document Summary
Environmental impacts of uranium mining: most common nuclear fuel, rock containing uranium is excavated, ground up. Disposal waste from nuclear fission: nuclear reactor waste is radioactive, harmful for centuries, is usually stored on site, first pools of water, later in cement bins. Canadian energy use: current energy has changed in past 60 years. Current energy demand in canada: industrial 27, transportation 21, residential 11% Energy: need to address if were going to chance climate change, get rid of gasoline. What we need to do to reduce environmental impacts Pathway to a greener energy future systems approach you understand how the system works, you figure out how to improve on it: the electricity distribution model, electricity consumption patters. Benefits: great for baseload, efficient, long lifespan, cheap to operate once built, low ghg emissions, no air pollution, dams may have other uses (irrigation, recreation, flood control) Costs: high up-front construction costs, floods land upstream, changes river.
