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Dig a hole and dump it in the hole. Then worry about real problems. I promise you no mutant monster will arise from the earth to destroy civilization. The hys
by rsj_hn 5y ago
Dig a hole and dump it in the hole. Then worry about real problems.
I promise you no mutant monster will arise from the earth to destroy civilization.
The hysteria over where we store this waste is really silly. Even if spray it into the air all over the planet, we'd still release 1/100 the amount of thorium and uranium than is currently being released into the air by the world's coal plants. Therefore even if we spray the waste into the air, it's still safer than coal. Burying it in the ground is much, much safer.
- JohnJamesRambo 5y agoOk I can see you haven’t thought about this much or deeply, there isn’t a lot we can discuss.
- csee 5y agoA lot has been written on it, and we've been told by many reputable people that it's not a big problem. If climate change really is a dire threat, nuclear waste is just a non-issue relatively speaking. Anyone promoting that we should block nuclear because of waste is some kind of bad faith actor.
- rsj_hn 5y agoI think not a bad faith actor, but an emotionally dominated actor. Most of the anti-nuclear opposition is about gut level emotion. This is why the bar is raised so much higher for nuclear than anything else. The reason boils down to "but this is nuclear!!
- rsj_hn 5y agoIndeed, I have thought about this "deeply". But not hysterically, which is why you seem to be so troubled about a calm assessment of risk that takes into account other risks we already accept and things like opportunity costs.
- justicezyx 5y agohttps://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/china-begins-construction-of-its-first-underground-research-laboratory-for-high-level-waste-disposal https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/china-begins-constructi... Storing underground is the most promising way of storing nuclear waste for long period of time.
- andbberger 5y agoFinland's thought deeply about it. It's a solved problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onkalo_spent_nuclear_fuel_repository https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onkalo_spent_nuclear_fuel_repo...
- jabl 5y agoFWIW, there's nothing super-unique about the Finnish solution. Most countries have suitable geology. AFAICS, the main reason for the success of the project is that various hysterical anti-nuclear activists weren't allowed to dominate the discussion.
- WatchDog 5y agoAre you really suggesting that the radioactive minerals released with coal burning, is anything like high-level radioactive waste? There is a big difference between the naturally occurring isotopes of thorium/uranium, and what comes out of a reactor.
- driverdan 5y agoYou're right, coal is much worse. It releases it into the air and kills people while nuclear waste is collected and contained.
- WatchDog 5y agoFrom the parent comment: > Even if spray it into the air all over the planet, we'd still release 1/100 the amount of thorium and uranium than is currently being released