90 POINTS FOR A SCIENCE PROJECT. For this assignment, you will research two land resources that are used to meet the energy needs of the
nation. You will compare these two sources using cost-benefit analysis. Based on your analysis, you will
determine which energy source is better. You will then write a paper to share the information you
researched, your analysis, and your conclusion.
In 2015, the United States produced 89 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) of energy from different
sources. Coal accounted for 21% of this production, and 32% is from natural gas. The production and
development of these resources involve costs. Coal and natural gas extraction and production also have
environmental and human health implications.

Growth in the world's population and economy, coupled with rapid urbanisation, will result in a substantial increase in energy demand over the coming years. The United Nations (UN) estimates that the world's population will grow from 7.6 billion in 2017 to 9.7 billion by 2050. The process of urbanisation – which currently adds a city the size of Shanghai to the world's urban population every four months or so – will result in approximately two-thirds of the world's people living in urban areas by 2050 (up from 55% in 2018). The challenge of meeting rapidly growing energy demand, whilst reducing harmful emissions of greenhouse gases, is considerable. In 2019 global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose to 33.3 Gt, the highest on record, and about 45% above the total in 2000 (23.2 Gt).Electricity demand growth has outpaced growth in final energy demand for many years. Increased electrification of end-uses – such as transport, space cooling, large appliances, ICT, and others – are key contributors to rising electricity demand. The number of people without access to electricity has fallen substantially, and is now below one billion. However, despite significant progress, over 11% of the world's population still lacks access, mostly in rural areas.Aside from the challenges of meeting increasing demand and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cleaner air is a vital need. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is the world's largest environmental risk. WHO estimates that about seven million people die prematurely as a result of air pollution. Much of the fine particulate matter in polluted areas arises from industrial sources such as power generation or from indoor air pollution which could be averted by electricity use.Studies have repeatedly shown that nuclear energy is a low-emitting source of electricity production in general. It is also specifically low-carbon; emitting among the lowest amount of carbon dioxide equivalent per unit of energy produced when considering total life-cycle emissions. It is the second largest source of low-carbon electricity production globally (after hydropower), and provided about 30% of all low-carbon electricity generated in 2018. Almost all reports on future energy supply from major organisations suggest an expanded role for nuclear power is required, alongside growth in other forms of low-carbon power generation, to create a sustainable future energy system.In June 2019 the OECD’s International Energy Agency (IEA) published a report, Nuclear Power in a Clean Energy System, which concluded that a failure to invest in existing and new nuclear plants in advanced economies would make global efforts to transition to a cleaner energy system drastically harder and more costly.

radioactive decay occurs in unstable atomic nuclei – that is, ones that don't have enough binding energy to hold

the nucleus together due to an excess of either protons or neutrons.

"hydrogen bonding is the attraction of h atoms in the water molecule (slight + charge) to o atoms in a neighboring water molecule (slight - charge); it is a weak interatomic force. but it is still strong enough to the water molecules "stick" together."