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cm2187 7y ago
...where he effectively advocates to curb economic and population growth. Even if it was desirable, which it is not, it is never going to happen. For the sort of order of magnitude of decarbonisation that is required to meet the climate change requirement, not only to provide the current energy but future growth too, there isn't really any realistic solution other than nuclear energy.
- landonxjames 7y ago
  I don't think you can just outright rule that as undesirable. Personally I strongly desire a reversal of the current rates of economic and population growth and I know many other people who do as well. Most of the opposition I see to this idea is from people who seem to value "progress" for its own sake as opposed to progress that actually has long term benefits.
- bilbo0s 7y ago
  Problem is, no one wants to pay for nuclear energy. The late T Boone Pickens saw the writing on the wall for carbon based energy, and he had his team of investment experts look around and experiment with different solutions for over a decade to see which solutions provided the best investment opportunities. In the end, even T Boone Pickens, one of the most notoriously ultra conservative men ever, was throwing nearly all of his new investment into wind farms. Government needs to put its fingers on the scale until men and organizations with billions to invest can run the numbers on nuclear and have it be more profitable than slapping up windmills. We're not gonna entice the money guys we need to entice with opportunities that are less profitable, involve more tech risk, and have a longer time period to first revenue.
- dredmorbius 7y ago
  "If something cannot go on forever, it will stop" (Stein's Law). You might want to think through the implications of that stopping.
- imtringued 7y ago
  Actually this is a very generous interpretation. If people aren't willing to compromise and instead simply accept the death of their offspring then the outcome will eventually be the death of their offspring.

cm2187 7y ago

...where he effectively advocates to curb economic and population growth. Even if it was desirable, which it is not, it is never going to happen. For the sort of order of magnitude of decarbonisation that is required to meet the climate change requirement, not only to provide the current energy but future growth too, there isn't really any realistic solution other than nuclear energy.

landonxjames 7y ago
I don't think you can just outright rule that as undesirable. Personally I strongly desire a reversal of the current rates of economic and population growth and I know many other people who do as well. Most of the opposition I see to this idea is from people who seem to value "progress" for its own sake as opposed to progress that actually has long term benefits.
bilbo0s 7y ago
Problem is, no one wants to pay for nuclear energy. The late T Boone Pickens saw the writing on the wall for carbon based energy, and he had his team of investment experts look around and experiment with different solutions for over a decade to see which solutions provided the best investment opportunities. In the end, even T Boone Pickens, one of the most notoriously ultra conservative men ever, was throwing nearly all of his new investment into wind farms. Government needs to put its fingers on the scale until men and organizations with billions to invest can run the numbers on nuclear and have it be more profitable than slapping up windmills. We're not gonna entice the money guys we need to entice with opportunities that are less profitable, involve more tech risk, and have a longer time period to first revenue.
dredmorbius 7y ago
"If something cannot go on forever, it will stop" (Stein's Law). You might want to think through the implications of that stopping.
imtringued 7y ago
Actually this is a very generous interpretation. If people aren't willing to compromise and instead simply accept the death of their offspring then the outcome will eventually be the death of their offspring.