This engaging PBS video discusses the benefits and drawbacks of nuclear power.
It presents different perspectives on the topic, allowing space for students to draw their own conclusions.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video includes images, text, music, and graphics to engage students and ensure understanding.
Additional Prerequisites
There is an advertisement included in the video. Video content concludes at 4 minutes, 0 seconds.
Students would benefit from understanding renewable and nonrenewable resources and their impacts on the environment. The course Clean Energy would be useful for students without prior knowledge.
Economics classes can use this resource when learning about the impact of economic choices on individuals.
Scientist Notes
This video spotlights the contribution of nuclear energy to achieving a carbon-free world. However, government regulations and policies make scaling up of nuclear energy impossible; many nuclear plants are currently undergoing decommissioning and no tangible replacement is done except going back to fossil fuels which appear to be cheaper. This is not appropriate if we want to achieve SDG 7 and a net zero by 2030 and 2050 respectively. This resource is factual and recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ETS1: Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-2 Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
HS-ETS1-1 Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Economics
D2.Eco.1.6-8 Explain how economic decisions affect the well-being of individuals, businesses, and society.
