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"That also includes every nuclear disaster ever." Assuming there won't be any disasters worse than what has already occurred. Presumably any new nuclear capac

"That also includes every nuclear disaster ever." Assuming there won't be any disasters worse than what has already occurred. Presumably any new nuclear capacity would use safer designs, but still, the tail end single event worst case scenario is a lot scarier.

tabtab 8y ago
The P/R angle of it is the problem. It's just politically easier to sell something to the public that has a gradual and constant risk and death rate rather than something that bunches them.
sjwright 8y ago
Nuclear disasters are almost exclusively the result of astonishing human incompetence which is almost unheard of in any comparable industry. Airlines have shown that it is possible to manage big risks. (Before you say Fukushima, remember the carnage and death was caused by an insanely catastrophic tsunami. Despite massive incompetence and disastrous consequences, it has resulted in a grand total of 1 death so far, with perhaps a few dozen over the lifetime of all people in the area. Not nothing, but it shows just how safe this stuff is when you extricate paranoia from the equation.)
- spiritcat 8y ago
  I was thinking more along the lines of, solar flare coinciding with massive earthquake causes multiple simultaneous Chernobyl's type thing.
  - sjwright 8y ago
    In that scenario I’d be more worried about the earthquake. Orders of magnitude more deadly.
    - spiritcat 8y ago
      I dunno, stack exchange says it could be an all life on earth's surface type thing. https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/65198/what-would-happen-if-all-433-nuclear-reactors-had-meltdowns https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/65198/what...
      - sjwright 8y ago
        Yes, if you start with this hilariously implausible premise and cherry-pick the conclusion that suits your narrative. In reality the major disruption to electricity markets would be far more consequential to >99% of humans on this planet. Choice quotes: "Short answer not much would happen. There just is not enough of them and even in the worst case breakdown they don't release that much radiation." "Even if every single reactor in the US 'failed' today, I doubt there would be significant radiation leakage ... without a 40 foot tsunami, I think this is more like Three Mile Island." "The problem is that there is a great deal of exaggeration in the public's idea of radiation - the "Omigawd, it's radioactive! We're all gonna DIE!" effect."

tabtab 8y ago

The P/R angle of it is the problem. It's just politically easier to sell something to the public that has a gradual and constant risk and death rate rather than something that bunches them.

sjwright 8y ago

Nuclear disasters are almost exclusively the result of astonishing human incompetence which is almost unheard of in any comparable industry. Airlines have shown that it is possible to manage big risks. (Before you say Fukushima, remember the carnage and death was caused by an insanely catastrophic tsunami. Despite massive incompetence and disastrous consequences, it has resulted in a grand total of 1 death so far, with perhaps a few dozen over the lifetime of all people in the area. Not nothing, but it shows just how safe this stuff is when you extricate paranoia from the equation.)

spiritcat 8y ago
I was thinking more along the lines of, solar flare coinciding with massive earthquake causes multiple simultaneous Chernobyl's type thing.
- sjwright 8y ago
  In that scenario I’d be more worried about the earthquake. Orders of magnitude more deadly.
  - spiritcat 8y ago
    I dunno, stack exchange says it could be an all life on earth's surface type thing. https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/65198/what-would-happen-if-all-433-nuclear-reactors-had-meltdowns https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/65198/what...
    - sjwright 8y ago
      Yes, if you start with this hilariously implausible premise and cherry-pick the conclusion that suits your narrative. In reality the major disruption to electricity markets would be far more consequential to >99% of humans on this planet. Choice quotes: "Short answer not much would happen. There just is not enough of them and even in the worst case breakdown they don't release that much radiation." "Even if every single reactor in the US 'failed' today, I doubt there would be significant radiation leakage ... without a 40 foot tsunami, I think this is more like Three Mile Island." "The problem is that there is a great deal of exaggeration in the public's idea of radiation - the "Omigawd, it's radioactive! We're all gonna DIE!" effect."