Nuclear Now!
I was a staunch green during my youth. I wasn't awake to the fact that the world is a very complicated place, and while I'd rather do the right thing, I also didn't want to give up on all the conveniences that the modern world had afforded me. I'm now very much of the opinion that nuclear power is the way to go.
The nuclear industry has progressed since the 1970s. There is always the danger of meltdown, but the new designs are fail-safe -- see my post on pebble-bed reactors. The problem of storage of nuclear waste is also huge -- but spent nuclear fuel could be reused -- which is an environmentally sound thing to do. Enriched nuclear waste could also be used to make weapons, but I think this can be overcome -- I think using enriched uranium to power commerce is a much more appealing idea that using it to threaten neighbours. The world will wake up to this. The US, Russia, Europe, China, Japan, Korea, India and Brazil already think this way. Yes, there will always be nuclear weapons -- but enriching uranium isn't a catalyst for proliferation as many would think. Getting rich is better than dying. The nuclear waste that has to be stored doesn't have to be stored in perfect containment for eternity. The perfect solution will take a long time, and will probably need technology we haven't invented yet. We should today implement safe, secure and temporary storage while we develop permanent storage. If we do that, we can start taking advantage of nuclear energy in a greater way today and lower our dependence on dumping carbon into the atmosphere.
Wired magazine has a great article on the advantages of nuclear energy today, and its cost advantage over fossil, wind and solar power. Check it out.
The nuclear industry has progressed since the 1970s. There is always the danger of meltdown, but the new designs are fail-safe -- see my post on pebble-bed reactors. The problem of storage of nuclear waste is also huge -- but spent nuclear fuel could be reused -- which is an environmentally sound thing to do. Enriched nuclear waste could also be used to make weapons, but I think this can be overcome -- I think using enriched uranium to power commerce is a much more appealing idea that using it to threaten neighbours. The world will wake up to this. The US, Russia, Europe, China, Japan, Korea, India and Brazil already think this way. Yes, there will always be nuclear weapons -- but enriching uranium isn't a catalyst for proliferation as many would think. Getting rich is better than dying. The nuclear waste that has to be stored doesn't have to be stored in perfect containment for eternity. The perfect solution will take a long time, and will probably need technology we haven't invented yet. We should today implement safe, secure and temporary storage while we develop permanent storage. If we do that, we can start taking advantage of nuclear energy in a greater way today and lower our dependence on dumping carbon into the atmosphere.
Wired magazine has a great article on the advantages of nuclear energy today, and its cost advantage over fossil, wind and solar power. Check it out.
posted by Andy Dabydeen at
2/13/2005 10:52:00 AM
1 Comments:
Anything that gets of off our addiction to OPEC products is a good thing. Let's go green if we can, however. I think the strategic placement of solar panels would make a dent in the problem.
Some investigation needs to go into more turbine/water projects that use naturally occuring rips well below the surface of our oceans and bays.
Wind power is always nice...that is, if we can live with the random hacking apart of various species of birds.
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