shallowdeep
Posts: 343
Joined: 9/1/2006 From: California Status: offline
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quote:
It`s not like it`s a one time deal with one single load.It`s a never ending stream of waste. As I've made clear, I don't see nuclear power as a long-term solution, but as an intermediate bridge to the time when other, better options can fully meet energy needs. As such, the resulting waste would, in fact, be a "one time deal" - with the time frame being the 50 or so years it's likely to take to transition fully to the alternatives. quote:
And that`s just a fuck`n estimate! No one knows what state the nuke waste will be in 10,000 fuck`n years. It's actually fundamental nuclear physics, not an estimate. It's not radioactive if it's not decaying. quote:
OMG! Had to take a few minutes to recover from the laughing fit. If I understand, you don't believe that anything man-made can be expected to last 10,000 years, let alone longer. You're welcome to hold that opinion, but it's demonstrably in error - as we've found plenty of tools dating back tens of thousands, and even millions, of years. Claiming that something is impossible because it doesn't fit in time scales we can easily comprehend may be "common sense", but it's not a rational assessment. There are greater uncertainties associated with long-term models, and neither I, nor anyone else I'm aware of, is trying to claim long-term waste storage poses no risk. However, as the status quo already poses a significant risk, it is only prudent to make an attempt to intelligently evaluate the risks associated with alternatives. Dismissing an alternative out of hand from ill-founded paranoia contributes nothing. The proper repository, even with conservative scenarios, would pose only negligibly increased risks of cancer over a very small area. For the sake of argument, allow that something is utterly wrong with the models. In that case, you might get a polluted aquifer that would cause appreciably elevated cancer risks in the area for tens of thousands of years. That's an immense risk, but even so it's still localized, and it's not catastrophic. It's also unlikely. These sorts of risks can, and need to be, weighed rationally against the alternatives. quote:
Germany has proven that the solar option works, by using solar technology to meet their growing electric needs. I already debunked this earlier in the thread. Other countries may be doing more, but the only industrialized countries that have currently made a serious dent in fossil fuel dependence have done so through nuclear power. quote:
I also imagine that today`s pro-nukers coundn`t give a shit about what future generations think of us. It`s part and parcel of the mindset at work. All I can do is assure you that I do care - deeply. I believe we have the same goals here. I think you're well intentioned, but approaching the problem with prejudice and some degree of ignorance, and that's not intended as an insult. I assume your assessment of me is similar, but I hope you can ascribe my position to the same good intent. quote:
My vote, go solar, go conservation, geo-thermal, wind, tidal, hydro, etc. It`s all viable, cost affective, renewable and proven to work. I'm in full agreement that this is where we should be heading. However, I believe that it's not realistic to build out these technologies cost effectively and in sufficient quantity within the next 20-30 years to meet the nearly 2,000,000,000 MWh of electrical energy currently generated in this country from coal alone each year - let alone the other fossil fuels or existing nuclear capacity. I think nuclear power has a more realistic chance to make an impact. Since nuclear plants can be built with relatively limited amounts of material and labor, I'm hopefully they won't substantially detract from the alternatives, which can, and should, be aggressively built out in parallel. Sticking with the status quo as we make a gradual transition means the current problems continue. We deal with them everyday, so we're largely numb to them - but that won't stop half a million deaths from coal particulates or, without wishing to ignite a religious war, this. As I've mentioned, I'm very optimistic that the future will see nuclear waste as a more surmountable problem than it currently is. But even if it isn't, I'd rather bequeath nuclear waste, with risks that I see as manageable, than bear responsibility for the alternative. If you should happen to come across some interesting, well thought out plans that don't involve increased use of nuclear fuels, please share them. I'm sure I, or someone else, will find them interesting. The more people that get interested in finding solutions, rather than being satisfied with the status quo, or simply complaining, the closer we'll get to a better future... a goal I hope everyone can share.
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