Re: link to -> In a last ditch effort, the declining nuclear industry has seized on the public’s legitimate concerns about climate change
That diatribe is a bunch of false assumptions masquerading as "facts." Start with the opening paragraph, part of which I copied above. Then reflect on the fact that, for good or evil, the nuclear industry is doing the best it's done in decades.
I've had conversations with people who were involved in the post mortems at 3 mile island and the more worrisome but less well known browns ferry incident.
Nuclear power plants are complex and dangerous and if enough of them are built and operated over a period of many decades there will eventually be a serious accident that kills a bunch of people.
But every other alternative is much more certain to kill far more people - the notion that windmills, etc. will supply the world's energy demands (which ultimately translates into food for children) is criminally naive.
Coal plants spew so much waste through mining, transportation, and burning, that their emissions of radioactive materials dwarf what is released from nuclear plants - not to mention all the other toxic and greenhouse emissions.
Ultimately, solar may show a lot more promise than it does now, but meanwhile we need to either get clean energy from a proven source (nukes) or agree to condemn Billions of innocent children to starvation. We need it yesterday, not someday.
And it's criminally naive to run around saying that reusing your grocery bags and combing a few shopping trips is a sufficient solution. Too many stupid people fall for that crap and the final result is children's deaths. I'm sorry if that seems melodramatic, but it's just true. It's just arithmetic, it's just like the housing bubble, and it's not complicated - anyone who will take a few minutes to add up the numbers can see it but many people refuse to do so or listen if someone else tries to show them. They just sit there covering their ears with their hands shouting "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA."
Sorry for the rant but it's been a very long week at work and I'm just tired of laziness, prejudice, and stupidity masquerading as analysis.
We're running out of oil and gas fast, we don't yet have a long term solution (but there are some good possibilities), we do have a short term solution. It's a real shame that the short term solution has so many serious drawbacks, and that it has a long lead time - but it's what we've got and we need to start now.
A big carbon tax sure would help reduce energy consumption, but who's been willing to promote that? And it's not nearly enough, it will just make people stop making some of their most stupid decisions - and reward those who are concientious. |
