Answer:
The advantages of nuclear power are, first that uranium fuel can substitute for fossil fuel, and the more different types of fuel we can use, the less dependent we are on any single type, and fossil fuel dependency is a political, economic, and environmental problem. Second, the use of fossil fuel has become increasingly a matter of concern because it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is a major cause of global warming. Third, as compared to such things as wind mills or solar power panels, nuclear power gives us a very compact source of large quantities of electric power; it does not require as much real estate as some other power sources. Disadvantages include the very large disadvantage that in the case of accidents such as Chernobyl or Fukushima, large amounts of very dangerous radioactive material are emitted into the surrounding region, causing many cases of cancer. Nuclear power produces nuclear waste, and we still do not have reliable enough storage or recycling procedures for such waste, which if it not handled well can also become a source of radioactive pollution and hence, a source of increased cancer rates. Nuclear power plants have the potential to be used to create fissionable material for use in nuclear weapons, and nuclear proliferation is a serious global political problem. It has also been the experience of the nuclear power industry, over the past half century, that nuclear power has turned out to be quite expensive.