Many countries around the world produce electricity by harnessing energy from the nuclear fission of "fuels" such as uranium rather than burning fossil fuels. As an example, electricity produced by burning 17,000 kg of fossil fuel can also be produced from 1 kg of uranium, but should Australia use it? Australia has historically used fossil fuels to power thousands of homes and businesses. There are four main fossil fuels; Coal, natural gas, oil and petroleum. Fossil fuels are found deep within the Earth and are made from deceased animals and plants. Although fossil fuels are well developed, cheap and reliable, they still have many disadvantages, mainly those that have a negative effect on the environment. Fossil fuels take millions of years to reproduce, buried deep in the Earth where heat and pressure produce the fuels. Climate change, global warming and the greenhouse effect are the main negative impacts. Essentially, climate change is any significant, long-lasting change in a weather pattern that can last millions of years. The greenhouse effect occurs when the Earth absorbs the sun's rays and radiates heat back into space. However, the gas produced by fossil fuels traps heat and releases it, causing global warming. Fossil fuels have even more harmful effects on the environment, such as the burning of oil which causes air pollution and the toxic gases that are released into the air as a result of the burning of coal, which leads to acid rain. However, there is an alternative, renewable energy. Renewable energy is any form of energy that comes from natural sources such as sunlight, wind and rainwater. These sources are good because they are reliable and always renewable. The only downside is that it's difficult... middle of paper ... the amount of land a power plant would occupy on average is about 200-400 acres, so it would be difficult to locate. a power station in Australia. The amount of money needed to build and maintain a factory is also in the billions. There is also waste disposal. But it's better to have no climate change and no greenhouse gases than to worry about where to bury radioactive waste, it's not like there's only one planet for store. The safety of our environment is worth the cost of a power plant and will not matter in 100 years. The scale of the effects of fossil fuels on the environment is worrying, not to mention the fact that they are not renewable when nuclear energy is immediate. Nuclear power is definitely an option Australia should consider. Ultimately, we will end fossil fuels and get more energy from them. Basically, we pay for a cleaner environment.