Topic 1: Nuclear Power Plants in India

Nuclear power plants have become a significant source of energy in India, accounting for
approximately 2% of the country's electricity production. Currently, India has 22 operational
nuclear power plants with 6780 MV. Only 3.2% of domestic electricity use comes from nuclear
power. Though Nuclear plants possess high powers of generating electricity, they still it has a
small proportion in the contribution of electricity in India.

Risks:
-Cost: Building a nuclear plant can cost Rs.37.50 crore per MW. India right now has many such
social and economical problems to solve rather than investing money in building new plants like
developed countries. 

-Long time in Construction: For the planning and formation of a nuclear plant, it takes on an
average of 20 years. Once even we decide to build one plant, it will take a lot of years to get the
benefit of it while another form of renewable energy doesn’t take this much time and give benefit
at a low cost.

-Radiation: We all know about Nagasaki and Hiroshima Nuclear bomb blasts and how the
radiation is still affecting generations. Radiations coming from nuclear energy can cause diseases
such as lung cancer, skin-related infections, etc to the workers and local people living nearby.

-Nuclear Weapon Risk: As a lot of countries now know the formula of nuclear energy, every
country has been building its nuclear plants. Nuclear plants can; lead to the production of nuclear
weapons all around the globe with the risk of safety concerns everywhere

Necessities:
-Fossil fuels and Pollution: As time is passing, fossil fuels will not be available after 50- 60 years
as per research and no longer petroleum and coal can be used to generate electricity. To find a
source that can help in providing electricity for a long period without any carbon emissions and
pollution, nuclear energy will be the best resource. Though it takes time to build it, it can last for
a century and provide carbon-free emissions.

-Overpopulation: India has now become the most populated country in the world with 140.76
crore people. More population will require more energy consumption of electricity. As known
nuclear power contributes to 3.2% of electricity but this is more looking at India’s population.
Thus, building more nuclear plants will generate more energy for future demands.

-Clean Source of Energy: Reducing carbon emissions has become the goal of every country.
Nuclear power provides clean energy and helps to reduce 470 million metric tons of carbon.

Theories of Ethics:
Utilitarianism: This theory talks about giving more befits to people at the cost of the sacrifice of
a few people’s happiness and with the idea of compensating the people. Utilitarianism would
support nuclear power plants as they provide energy to millions of people. However, it would
also acknowledge that the risks involved in nuclear power generation need to be managed
appropriately to minimize harm to society.

Deontological Ethics: Deontological ethics would focus on the importance of following the rules
and regulations set by the government to ensure the safety of the public and the environment.

Elements of an Ethical Organization:

Accountability: The nuclear power plant operators need to be accountable for the safety of the
plant and the workers. They should ensure that they are following all safety protocols and
procedures. 

Transparency: The public should be informed about the risks and benefits of nuclear power
plants to make informed decisions.

Responsibility: The operators and regulators of nuclear power plants have a responsibility to
ensure the safety of the public and the environment. The responsibility of operating nuclear
plants must be with the government only. There shall be no misuse of uranium by the operating
people to enrich their nuclear weapons with it.

Conclusion:
With the growing population and demands of getting more energy for future generations, nuclear
power plants are needed to be built in time and soon for having zero carbon emission energy
sources. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the government to formulate and apply rules
and regulations for the safety of the employees, society, and environment by regulating power
plants on time, using uranium purposefully, and checking every operation.

Topic 3: Clinical Trials in Drug Formulation

Clinical trials are a crucial step in the drug development process. With this process, important
drugs can be applied for use globally. They involve testing new drugs or treatments on humans
to determine their efficacy and safety. 

Risks:
-Failure: The ratio of success and failure of clinical trials is 1: 9 which means that 90% of drug
trials fail. Due to the risk of failure, people don’t go for clinical trials of drugs. Around 4000
people have died due to the failure of drug trials in the last ten years.

-Psychological Trauma: In World War II, Nazis conducted several medical experiments on
Jews. Many people died as a result, and they also suffered psychological anguish. Following the
Holocaust, numerous people were questioned, and it was discovered that due to faulty rules, this
type of medical experimentation has long-term impacts on people's mental health.

-Physical harm: A drug's adverse effects on people could be numerous if it is tested on humans.
For instance, if a medicine is used to treat coronavirus, some bodily components may be harmed.
Thus, it causes long-term physical harm to people.
-Long procedure for trials: Clinical trials have a long procedure like 5-6 steps to complete one
trial. It requires a lot of time for the participants and causes inconvenience. Also sometimes, the
location of such clinical trials is far away from the cities, and also causes inconvenience.

Necessities:
-Development of treatments: With the use of clinical trials, researchers can know whether it can
be applied for use of a treatment or not. If there is success in trials, it can lead to having
treatment of several diseases and less death of people.

-Betterment of medical research: By using medical clinical trials, researchers can decide which
vaccine is better. They can also develop new treatments if the earlier treatment was not
successful. It will help monitor the use of new drugs.

-Improvement of participant’s health: People who participate in clinical trials have the advantage
of getting doses of treatment earlier. They can monitor their health conditions too.

Theories of Ethics:

Virtue Ethics: Virtue ethics would emphasize the importance of conducting clinical trials with
honesty and integrity, keeping the well-being of the participants as the top priority.

Utilitarianism: In the field of clinical trials, the theory of utilitarianism can be applied. As we
know that for clinical trials, a small portion of humans is required. Through trials, we can create
a drug for a larger audience that concludes to benefit from the drug and save lives at the cost of a
few lives.

Elements of an Ethical Organization:

Informed Consent: The participants should be informed about the potential risks and benefits of
the clinical trial and should give their consent to participate voluntarily.

Safety: The safety of the participants should be the top priority, and measures should be taken to
minimize the risks involved.

Ethical Oversight: The clinical trials should be monitored by an independent ethical review
board to ensure that they are conducted ethically and responsibly.

Conclusion:
Clinical trials are necessary to bring new drugs and treatments to the market, but they need to be
conducted ethically and responsibly to ensure the safety of the participants.

Overall, the ethical evaluation of these events/activities is crucial to ensure that they are
conducted in a way that minimizes the risks involved and maximizes the benefits to society. The
theories of ethics and elements of an ethical organization provide a framework for evaluating the
ethicality of these events/activities and suggesting policies and safeguards manage the risks
involved.

References 

Topic 1: Nuclear Power Plants in India

Goyal, R., & Das, N. (2021). Challenges and prospects of nuclear power in India. Energy
Sources, Part B: Economics, Planning, and Policy, 16(2), 211-226.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15567249.2020.1856911

Ramana, M. V. (2019). Nuclear power and its critics in India. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,
75(4), 205-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/00963402.2019.1630471

Topic 3: Clinical Trials in Drug Formulation

Emanuel, E. J., Wendler, D., & Grady, C. (2000). What makes clinical research ethical? JAMA,
283(20), 2701-2711. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.283.20.2701

Kass, N. E., Faden, R. R., Goodman, S. N., Pronovost, P., Tunis, S., & Beauchamp, T. L. (2013).
The research-treatment distinction: A problematic approach for determining which activities
should have ethical oversight. Hastings Center Report, 43(S1), S4-S15.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.134