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I'm not a US citizen and I'm not a lawyer. But it I'm really worried that the US public will blame Exxon for climate change. If Exxon disappeared overnight, the

by nroets 7y ago

I'm not a US citizen and I'm not a lawyer. But it I'm really worried that the US public will blame Exxon for climate change. If Exxon disappeared overnight, the current regulatory environment means that another oil company will take up the slack in decade or two. It's time for the US to realize they are much richer than most other countries. They should show the world they are willing to make real sacrifices. Otherwise we will see the tragedy of the commons play out on a global scale.

ageofwant 7y ago
There are no sacrifice necessary, that's a silly meme that refuses to die. Its the same kind of thinking that made people ask where they are going to keep all the horses if cities become to large back in the day. We have modern nuclear technology today, we should just elect to use it.
- lozenge 7y ago
  "limiting warming below or close to 1.5 °C would require to decrease net emissions by around 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050" How long would it take to build out nuclear "with no sacrifice necessary"?
  - EGreg 7y ago
    5-7 years
  - sampo 7y ago
    > How long would it take to build out nuclear "with no sacrifice necessary"? Less time than it will take to finish this lawsuit. In the 1970s, Sweden built reactors in 5-7 years. In current decade, China has built reactors in 5-7 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_Sweden#List_of_reactors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_Sweden#List_o... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_reactors#China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_reactors#China
    - beerandt 7y ago
      Except for the delay that they'll have to fight potentially frivolous lawsuits...
- paulryanrogers 7y ago
  Even if thorium reactors could be built right now and use waste from older reactors, there is still the process of mining and handling radioactive material. Nuclear may be preferable to coal but (IMO) not to large scale development of solar, wind, and higher efficiency grids.
  - jakeogh 7y ago
    We only need to mine 1/1e6'th of it compared to conventional chemistry. Thorium is a waste product, we mine it anyway, it's with the Lanthanides. It's an alpha emitter so unless you ingest it (serious hazard, dont ingest alpha emitters) it's not difficult to work with.
- nroets 7y ago
  Even if nuclear technology provides all US electricity within "5-7 years", gasoline will still be needed to power the majority of US vehicles and aircraft. It will be hard for Americans to stay at home some vacations, to build denser cities, drive smaller vehicles and eat less meat. Those are sacrifices that will not hurt the economy !!

by nroets 7y ago

ageofwant 7y ago

There are no sacrifice necessary, that's a silly meme that refuses to die. Its the same kind of thinking that made people ask where they are going to keep all the horses if cities become to large back in the day. We have modern nuclear technology today, we should just elect to use it.

lozenge 7y ago
"limiting warming below or close to 1.5 °C would require to decrease net emissions by around 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050" How long would it take to build out nuclear "with no sacrifice necessary"?
- EGreg 7y ago
  5-7 years
- sampo 7y ago
  > How long would it take to build out nuclear "with no sacrifice necessary"? Less time than it will take to finish this lawsuit. In the 1970s, Sweden built reactors in 5-7 years. In current decade, China has built reactors in 5-7 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_Sweden#List_of_reactors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_Sweden#List_o... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_reactors#China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_reactors#China
  - beerandt 7y ago
    Except for the delay that they'll have to fight potentially frivolous lawsuits...
paulryanrogers 7y ago
Even if thorium reactors could be built right now and use waste from older reactors, there is still the process of mining and handling radioactive material. Nuclear may be preferable to coal but (IMO) not to large scale development of solar, wind, and higher efficiency grids.
- jakeogh 7y ago
  We only need to mine 1/1e6'th of it compared to conventional chemistry. Thorium is a waste product, we mine it anyway, it's with the Lanthanides. It's an alpha emitter so unless you ingest it (serious hazard, dont ingest alpha emitters) it's not difficult to work with.
nroets 7y ago
Even if nuclear technology provides all US electricity within "5-7 years", gasoline will still be needed to power the majority of US vehicles and aircraft. It will be hard for Americans to stay at home some vacations, to build denser cities, drive smaller vehicles and eat less meat. Those are sacrifices that will not hurt the economy !!