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Yang is to be credited for stating he is open to all possible solutions to the climate crisis, and rightly pointing out that with a crisis of this magnitude no
by erentz 7y ago
Yang is to be credited for stating he is open to all possible solutions to the climate crisis, and rightly pointing out that with a crisis of this magnitude no solutions should be taken off the table at this point. Something other candidates are reluctant to do when it comes to the topic of nuclear energy.
He shouldn’t be expected to be an expert in the nuances of the technology or fuels. This should always be left to the appropriate experts in the Dept of Energy, etc. The job of the president should be to identify the problem (in this case climate change), and task the appropriate agencies with solving it, which will involve a variety of actions.
- Craighead 7y agoWhat is the half life of the replacement parts of a windmill?
- sjwright 7y agoExactly. The takeaway should be that Yang is approaching this issue from a position of technical merit and not on an irrational emotional basis like most others. This is to his credit. Properly technocratic leadership is rare in the USA and it's beyond time for them to experiment with it. In my opinion the analysis linked to from HN is laughably flawed. It's not exactly wrong, but it's so terse and reductive that it might as well be. For example— while the waste from the thorium fuel cycle could be used to make weapons, but the fuel would always include some Uranium 232 (a gamma emitter) and therefore it's more difficult to handle safely and your entire weapon manufacturing pipeline is able to be monitored from afar by foreign governments.
- acidburnNSA 7y agoTechnically the big gamma emitter is Tl-208 which is in the decay chain of U-232. Careful about downplaying the U-233 weapons potential. Phenomenal nuclear weapons can be derived from Thorium. Here's a good declassified hint from 1966: https://www.osti.gov/biblio/79078 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/79078
- tabtab 7y agoRe: Yang is approaching this issue from a position of technical merit and not on an irrational emotional basis like most others. Unfortunately, politics is not rational. Energy sources that kill slowly but gradually make less news and attention than "death spike" patterns even if their long-term-average numbers are better. If you don't address political patterns, then you will be bulldozed by trolls and demagogues who leverage emotion and vague impressions. If you go on the news with death-rate charts, you'll be ridiculed by the same people who beat up and shunned nerds in school. I'm just the messenger.
- RivieraKid 7y agoI like that he mentions geo-engineering. To me, the most promising is stratospheric aerosol injection. I don't understand why there's not more talk about it given the cost / value ratio. If it turns out that there are no serious side effects or risk and governments agree to do it, we have solved climate change.
- acidburnNSA 7y agoThis pro geologist (James Conca) is talking about it. His favorite option is crushed shells/limestone. The side-effect is that they reduce ocean acidification. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2019/09/10/solar-geoengineering-we-better-do-it-or-well-burn/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2019/09/10/solar-geo...
- scythe 7y agoDimming sunlight will reduce plant growth. CO2 extraction is more expensive but less worrying than any deflection-based technology in terms of side effects IMO. You could cover the desert with aluminum foil I guess. Might confuse the birds.
- birdyrooster 7y agoAlso dimming might also have some effects on the fauna too. I know it’s a small change but on a global scale I bet there would be some pathology for humans and other animals.
- hyperbovine 7y ago> If it turns out that there are no serious side effects or risk Literally the only way to determine that would be to try it. And then let’s hope the proponents are correct, because if not... There is just so much we don’t understand about the global climate to think this sort of solution is a good idea. I’ll start taking the geoengineering people seriously when they can accurately predict the weather one month from now.
- ants_a 7y ago
- Reedx 7y agoYeah, I really appreciate that he has the courage to say things that need to be said, even though he knows it's currently unpopular. The adult in the room. Which indicates he's genuinely interested in solving problems. Politics and focus groups be damned. As such it seems likely he'd update his priors via field experts.
- fsh 7y agoHim not being an expert is not an excuse for spreading incorrect information. He could have asked one. I am truly amazed how easy people tend to let their favorite politicians off the hook for saying dumb things in public.
- rendaw 7y agoIf he's going to rely on experts this would certainly be one place to demonstrate that.
- oska 7y agoThis is giving him quite a soft pass. If he's made specific claims about thorium reactors then it's good that they're being fact-checked.
- heisenbit 7y agoYou are right on him not needing to be an expert. However these are not nuances - the idea of Thorium reactors has been around for decades and the key reasons it is hard to make it work and safe have not changed. If he has not an expert at hand now who can tell him that Thorium reactors are unlikely that calls into question his ability to find and select advisors. Jumping on solutions that are looking good and convenient is not a qualification for the job.