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You're missing the point which is that all forms of energy production are unsafe, and all forms of energy production can be made safer, but the public perceptio
by henrikschroder 16y ago
You're missing the point which is that all forms of energy production are unsafe, and all forms of energy production can be made safer, but the public perception of the relative dangers between the different forms is completely wrong, and people are focusing their energy and fears on what feels the most dangerous instead of what actually kills most people.
The events at Fukushima will lead to a global backlash against nuclear power, and some countries will most probably shut down some plants or postpone the building of new ones in response to public fears, and since the same public is unwilling to cut back on their power consumption, some other form has to increase, which means that more people will die.
And to anyone with a rational mindset, this is just infuriating.
- Tichy 16y agoLet's wait how Fukushima plays out. If all is fine in the end, maybe the public opinion will also turn. I don't think this "killing most people" comparison is very useful, there some to be a lot of aspects and details missing from the picture.
- chc 16y agoWhat kinds of "aspects and details" are you thinking of?
- Tichy 16y agoProduction, consumption and disposal of fuels. Is it coal mined in some shoddy third world mine, could things be improved with better technology? (nuclear power received a lot of research money, can the same be said for other power sources?). Environmental impact (oil spills - blame on power plants, or on cars?). Quality of life (just surviving is not enough). Sustainability (nuclear power also seems to be a limited resource). small chance for big damage (nuclear power) vs higher chance for lower damage (fossile fuels). And so on - honestly, I am not an expert on this stuff.