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> nuclear doesn’t require we do business with cobalt slavers Uranium does not exactly get pooped out by sparkly unicorns either: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

> nuclear doesn’t require we do business with cobalt slavers Uranium does not exactly get pooped out by sparkly unicorns either: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_uranium_production https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_uranium_p...

Gud 4y ago
My home country Sweden has plenty of Uranium but it is forbidden to extract it. And this is the problem for the nuclear industry - due to political road blocks, everything is unnecessarily expensive and difficult.
- geysersam 4y ago
  Uranium mining has adverse side effects to the local environment. Few want an uranium mine in their area. You could also say: uranium mining is incredibly expensive, and we're not willing to pay the cost, so we import it from countries where the cost is paid by someone else.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - Gud 4y ago
    It is not banned because it’s expensive, it’s banned because of political reasons. Sweden are great with large scale mining.
    - geysersam 4y ago
      It's expensive in terms of the external costs. That's the reason why it's banned.
      - Gud 4y ago
        The external costs can be mitigated.
        geysersam 4y ago
        Perhaps to some extent. But then the extraction becomes more expensive.
        Gud 4y ago
        Of course. But I’d rather pay more for the Uranium mining than pay outrageous electricity prices
Pet_Ant 4y ago
I mean this would be a good thing for Canada and Australia. I wonder with increased demand could they scale up and to be the main, ethical, sources.
TheSpiceIsLife 4y ago
Besides the obvious malodorous actors, Iran and Russia, what's wrong with that list in your opinion?
- microtherion 4y ago
  Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are hardly beacons of liberty, and might be susceptible to Russian pressure (though they may be more independent than I give them credit for), Namibia and Niger might not have mining standards superior to current Cobalt producers and China is China.
  - Schroedingersat 4y ago
    The best defense nigerian uranium mining has against slavery allegations is Uranium ore's abysmal energy density. It would take an artisinal miner years or decades to gather a kg of uranium. They'd produce more electricity on a bicycle generator. Which is not to say that they're paid well or given PPE or that radon levels are monitored, or that the tailings dams are kept to any sort of safety standards.
p1mrx 4y ago
Would it really be so bad for Europe to depend on Australia and Canada for fuel? In theory, a single cargo ship delivery could power the entire continent for a year.

Gud 4y ago

My home country Sweden has plenty of Uranium but it is forbidden to extract it. And this is the problem for the nuclear industry - due to political road blocks, everything is unnecessarily expensive and difficult.

geysersam 4y ago
Uranium mining has adverse side effects to the local environment. Few want an uranium mine in their area. You could also say: uranium mining is incredibly expensive, and we're not willing to pay the cost, so we import it from countries where the cost is paid by someone else.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- Gud 4y ago
  It is not banned because it’s expensive, it’s banned because of political reasons. Sweden are great with large scale mining.
  - geysersam 4y ago
    It's expensive in terms of the external costs. That's the reason why it's banned.
    - Gud 4y ago
      The external costs can be mitigated.
      - geysersam 4y ago
        Perhaps to some extent. But then the extraction becomes more expensive.
        Gud 4y ago
        Of course. But I’d rather pay more for the Uranium mining than pay outrageous electricity prices

Pet_Ant 4y ago

I mean this would be a good thing for Canada and Australia. I wonder with increased demand could they scale up and to be the main, ethical, sources.

TheSpiceIsLife 4y ago

Besides the obvious malodorous actors, Iran and Russia, what's wrong with that list in your opinion?

microtherion 4y ago
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are hardly beacons of liberty, and might be susceptible to Russian pressure (though they may be more independent than I give them credit for), Namibia and Niger might not have mining standards superior to current Cobalt producers and China is China.
- Schroedingersat 4y ago
  The best defense nigerian uranium mining has against slavery allegations is Uranium ore's abysmal energy density. It would take an artisinal miner years or decades to gather a kg of uranium. They'd produce more electricity on a bicycle generator. Which is not to say that they're paid well or given PPE or that radon levels are monitored, or that the tailings dams are kept to any sort of safety standards.

p1mrx 4y ago

Would it really be so bad for Europe to depend on Australia and Canada for fuel? In theory, a single cargo ship delivery could power the entire continent for a year.