4 ms·
Isn't traditional nuclear power, while sustainable, also immensely dangerous?
by cunidev 5y ago
Isn't traditional nuclear power, while sustainable, also immensely dangerous?
- trenchgun 5y agoWhere does the immense danger come from?
- baq 5y agoTail risks. Black swans if you wish. Unknown unknowns which leave the immediate area uninhabitable forever and a wide radius for generations.
- Jenda_ 5y agoIf your alternative is fossil, you need to compare this to land lost due to rising sea levels, desertification etc.
- baq 5y agoabsolutely... no good options. fusion maybe, if it finally works.
- pbaka 5y agoWell, tbf, not uninhabitable, if you look at the region of Prypiat. It's just surroundings which select for the most radiation resitant.
- mike_d 5y agoNuclear is the safest form of energy generation we have today when measured in deaths per unit of energy produced. Nuclear kills 90 people per terawatt generated, rooftop solar kills 440 per terawatt. Hydro kills 1,400 and wind kills 150.
- pflanze 5y agoWatt is not a unit of energy, but of power. Did you mean TWh? What are your sources?
- mike_d 5y ago> What are your sources? Electricity generation and health The Lancet, Volume 370, Issue 9591, 15–21 September 2007, Pages 979-990
- thehappypm 5y agoThis isn't really predictive of the future though. So far we 've had very good luck that all the catastrophic failures of nuclear have resulted in minimal loss of life. A bad nuclear meltdown could kill thousands or worse. There is no path to solar or wind suddenly becoming exponentially more dangerous than it currently is.
- clusterfish 5y agoYou're right, it's not predictive of the future because modern reactors are much safer than 1970s designs and are even less likely to kill anyone.
- imtringued 5y ago> Nuclear is the safest form of energy generation we have today when measured in deaths per unit of energy produced. How does that compare to what we have deployed in the wild?
- theshrike79 5y agoThe options are either kill a few people every day or MAYBE there is a black swan event and a bunch of people die. Based on the history of nuclear power, I'd still choose nuclear.