3 ms·

A typical coal plant burns a box-car of pure carbon every 15 minutes. Compared to that, the amount of CO2 generated producing 400,000 tonnes of steel and concre

A typical coal plant burns a box-car of pure carbon every 15 minutes. Compared to that, the amount of CO2 generated producing 400,000 tonnes of steel and concrete is negligible. Fission is currently our only scalable, safe, cost-effective replacement for baseload coal. Fusion would be an alternative-alternative. Wind/solar plus batteries is a backup plan. At this point, given what we know about climate change--and more to the point what we don't know yet, but will find out empirically if we keep down the no-nukes road--it is very difficult to be opposed to fission power. We are only "stuck" with out fusion because anti-technology crusaders have made it effectively impossible to build more of the solution we have in hand.

TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
Yes, in the pursuit of perfect we appear to be overlooking good. With what we know about Gen III+ and what we're told about Gen IV nuclear fission, we should probably be doing a war-like roll-out of existing and new nuclear technology. I grew up in South Australia which is host to the worlds largest known single deposit of uranium in the world.[1] Maralinga in the Woomera Prohibited Area is the site of seven British nuclear tests.[2] Australia is also host to the OECD's dirtiest coal fired power station, Hazelwood Power Station in Victoria[3]. There's definitely some irony going there. I suppose if it weren't for Greenpeace and Friends Of the Earth Australia might have had nuclear power by now, or at least process and value-add our uranium ore. 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Dam,_South_Australia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Dam,_South_Australia 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nuclear_tests_at_Maralinga http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nuclear_tests_at_Marali... 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelwood_Power_Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelwood_Power_Station Edit: fixed a word

TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago

Yes, in the pursuit of perfect we appear to be overlooking good. With what we know about Gen III+ and what we're told about Gen IV nuclear fission, we should probably be doing a war-like roll-out of existing and new nuclear technology. I grew up in South Australia which is host to the worlds largest known single deposit of uranium in the world.[1] Maralinga in the Woomera Prohibited Area is the site of seven British nuclear tests.[2] Australia is also host to the OECD's dirtiest coal fired power station, Hazelwood Power Station in Victoria[3]. There's definitely some irony going there. I suppose if it weren't for Greenpeace and Friends Of the Earth Australia might have had nuclear power by now, or at least process and value-add our uranium ore. 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Dam,_South_Australia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Dam,_South_Australia 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nuclear_tests_at_Maralinga http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nuclear_tests_at_Marali... 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelwood_Power_Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelwood_Power_Station Edit: fixed a word