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Assuming this question is made in good faith: air pollution as generated from coal and methane ("natural gas") is really bad and much worse than previously real
by jseliger 4y ago
Assuming this question is made in good faith: air pollution as generated from coal and methane ("natural gas") is really bad and much worse than previously realized: https://patrickcollison.com/pollution https://patrickcollison.com/pollution.
The literature on it is credible: https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2021/12/why-the-new-pollution-literature-is-credible.html https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2021/12/wh...
Nuclear produces no air pollution. It produces no direct greenhouse gases. The actual amount of centuries-long waste is tiny: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-wastes/radioactive-wastes-myths-and-realities.aspx https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-c..., particularly compared to other industrial activities.
People have some kind of aesthetic / disproportionate fear-based response to nuclear and ignore the deaths that occur due to combusting coal and methane. Most people can't or won't think numerically but we should also try to do better.
- legulere 4y agoBut nuclear or fossil is a false dichotomy: There are also renewables, which of course have their difficulties with intermittency but are often already now the cheapest electricity source.
- Moldoteck 4y agoYep, for example storing old batteries full of dangerous chemicals, used for consistent energy supply is quite a challenge, or getting big amounts of lithium for those batteries. There are options of course, for example recently finished "battery" in switzerland with two big water capsules, but still there should happen many improvements in renewables and hopefully in nuclear too. Small nuclear reactors that are cheaper, easier to deploy is a promising concept too