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There is a small, but influential component of the "oh my gerdz, carbon bad!" crowd that hate nuclear. They're careful not to argue on the merits, as they'd be

There is a small, but influential component of the "oh my gerdz, carbon bad!" crowd that hate nuclear. They're careful not to argue on the merits, as they'd be exposed as the ridiculous supervillains that they are. They don't want humanity to have absurd amounts of energy. They believe in an ascetic philosophy where, should there be any humans still around at all, they should be suffering with whatever the minimum amount of energy is that they can get away with. They don't want you to be able to drive anywhere. Small little walkable cities, that no one can hope to escape from.

SturgeonsLaw 3y ago
Sure, but these people are a fringe group, and largely a caricature. Most people just want to be able to live a comfortable life and not damage the planet we live on in the process. I guarantee you that if limitless, clean, cheap energy became the norm then the vast, vast majority of the world (and probably even these ascetics) would make use of it, and it would be beneficial for humanity. Also - in the absence of such an energy source, minimising usage of polluting energy is a good move.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
  > Sure, but these people are a fringe group, a I see little evidence that they are a disavowed fringe group. I see alot of evidence that they're at the top, in control, and at least clever enough to dodge questions about their position on nuclear. That is, when they're not outright lying about it. It's not a new development, this was evident since at least the early 1990s. > I guarantee you that if limitless, clean, cheap energy became the norm then the vast, vast majority of the world But that's irrelevant. You speak as if "if this technology magically falls into our laps". Technology does not do that. It requires effort and money and time, and these people have done what they can to worm their way into positions where they're in charge of doling out those things. There's another comment whining about how it would take at least "6" years to get moving with nuclear. This, to them, is an argument against. To me, it's an argument for even more hurry. If things take awhile to get moving, you don't put them off even longer. Most people are so ignorant of all of this, that they exert absolutely no influence in one direction or the other. What they want will matter little in the end.

SturgeonsLaw 3y ago

Sure, but these people are a fringe group, and largely a caricature. Most people just want to be able to live a comfortable life and not damage the planet we live on in the process. I guarantee you that if limitless, clean, cheap energy became the norm then the vast, vast majority of the world (and probably even these ascetics) would make use of it, and it would be beneficial for humanity. Also - in the absence of such an energy source, minimising usage of polluting energy is a good move.

NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
> Sure, but these people are a fringe group, a I see little evidence that they are a disavowed fringe group. I see alot of evidence that they're at the top, in control, and at least clever enough to dodge questions about their position on nuclear. That is, when they're not outright lying about it. It's not a new development, this was evident since at least the early 1990s. > I guarantee you that if limitless, clean, cheap energy became the norm then the vast, vast majority of the world But that's irrelevant. You speak as if "if this technology magically falls into our laps". Technology does not do that. It requires effort and money and time, and these people have done what they can to worm their way into positions where they're in charge of doling out those things. There's another comment whining about how it would take at least "6" years to get moving with nuclear. This, to them, is an argument against. To me, it's an argument for even more hurry. If things take awhile to get moving, you don't put them off even longer. Most people are so ignorant of all of this, that they exert absolutely no influence in one direction or the other. What they want will matter little in the end.