Nuclear technology has been around since the middle of the Twentieth Century; masterminded under intense global military pressures, nuclear technology raises many questions about the value of a technology that has the capability to render the planet unfit for human occupation. The secret race to divide nature into its most miniscule components the result of which created a tremendous source of previously unknown energy, has characterized our short history with this dangerous knowledge. Created with short-term goals in mind, nuclear technology has wrought human and environmental devastation as well as the political dilemmas we find ourselves in today. The production and use of nuclear technology are matters of not just national or regional, but international concern; our global population lives in a global ecosystem, the destruction of which affects us all.

The race to develop nuclear technology was a secret effort spearheaded by the United States in order to decisively end World War II by means of weapons of mass destruction. This effort was characterized by the myopic views of society embroiled in a war of global dimensions. Therefore, the goal to win the war t

While we can denounce nuclear energy for its dangerous nature, it does provide electricity for billions of people around the globe where power from hydroelectric, wind or fossil fuels are not cost effective or just not available. This cheap power was a very important reason that the technology continued to be refined after World War II because "commercial interests looked forward to exploiting atomic energy to produce electricity they promised would be 'too cheap to meter'" (Hertsgaard, 141). Reasonable rates and dependable electricity was highly advantageous in the early days of nuclear power plants. Growing urban areas needed increased power output to supply the commercial and residential expansion during the 50's and 60's. As electrical technology advanced, more power was required to run modern manufacturing plants and office buildings not to mention dishwashers, televisions, and computers. While affordable electrical power was in high demand, not much was known or published about the effects of nuclear testing and accidents at the nuclear power plants. "Secrecy and cutting corners in one country were used to justify secrecy and cutting corners in the other" (Hertsgaard 139).

Similarly, our natural environment is a globally, interconnected ecosystem that all of nature relies on for life. The natural processes of decomposition of organic matter, atmospheric circulation and the hydrologic cycle connect soils, air and water systems to each other. Contamination of soils leeches into the water table to spread toxins into drinking water, air pollution causes acid rain and poisonous gases are transported great distances by wind patterns in the atmosphere. These natural processes spread toxins great distances from the original contamination to affect much larger populations of plants, animals and humans that rely on the environment. Other natural processes such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods spread contaminants also, all of which are beyond the control of humans to contain the environmental damage to a single isolated location. Soils once contaminated by radiation are unusable by humans for agricultural purposes for centuries. Lake Karachay in Russia received nearly a billion gallons of nuclear waste since 1953, could be "the most contaminated spot on earth" (Hertsgaard 135). Since 1951, radioactivity in the lake filtered down through the soil beneath and into the water table below, a future cyclone or earthquake could spread the contamination far beyond the shores of the lake. "It is being written off, by both the West and the Russian government, as a sacrifice zone, a place too polluted to ever be salvaged" (Hertsgaard 155).

After the Cold War disarmament, nuclear weapons dismantled in the old Soviet Union were found to have been purchased or stolen by several nations embroiled in decades-old political disputes with neighboring nations. The nations of India and Pakistan have both tested nuclear weapons within the last five years as they

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2021
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)