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The way I see it is that nuclear disasters are terrible and costly, but they don't threaten the existence of mankind or our way of life. Global warming, on the
by lelag 4y ago
The way I see it is that nuclear disasters are terrible and costly, but they don't threaten the existence of mankind or our way of life. Global warming, on the other hand, is threatening our way of life and well-being slowly but very directly. This is the real danger, and I believe that the green movement has been very misguided in its anti-nuclear stance. They are achieving the opposite of their goals. The carbon footprint of Germany has been much worse compared to France in the past 50 years.
We've had two major disasters in 30 years. Even if you assume that you get a Fukushima/Chernobyl-sized event three times per century, which is bad and should not happen with modern designs, it still doesn't threaten mankind as a whole because they are localized events. Global warming, however, is making Earth a less habitable place everywhere.
- knocte 4y agoI don't think the green movement is anti-nuclear, it is nuclear reluctant but given two choices, e.g. coal vs nuclear, green would always choose the lesser of two evils.
- lelag 4y agoCome on. So you think political ecologists have no role in the fact that very few nuclear plants were built in Europe since 1990 ? Even France, the nuclear plant country(tm) has forgotten how to make them (look at Flamanville EPR fiasco). Now, everybody realize we actually need nuclear but we can't make anymore quickly and are stuck extending the life of the existing plants like Japan is doing.
- knocte 4y agoBuilding new nuclear plants is pro-nuclear. I said green movement is not anti-nuclear but I didn't say it is pro-nuclear. World is not black&white.
- zdragnar 4y agoNuclear plants don't live forever. Refusing new nuclear is tantamount to eliminating nuclear. Also, there are certainly green activists against ALL nuclear. I don't have a formal survey handy, but based purely on the opinions of those that I know, far more are anti-nuclear than are neutral on the matter.
- knocte 4y ago> Refusing new nuclear is tantamount to eliminating nuclear. IT IS NOT. Refusing new nuclear but understanding that current nuclear plants can't be shutdown (yet) until there's more renewable replacements for energy generation is a good compromise.
- zdragnar 4y agoMany plants are operating beyond their designed lifetimes because we don't have an alternative right now. This situation cannot go on indefinitely.
- glogla 4y agoYeah, I think we have experimental evidence from EU that shows otherwise.