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Originally Posted by Undertoad
We should follow France's lead and turn to nuclear energy. Nukes plus hybrid cars in 2020!
Actually I do think so, even though I'm a Three Mile Island "survivor". There have been safer designs of nuke plants that have been developed since the bad old days.
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Let's not forget why events happen such as Three Mile Island and The Challenger. In each case, management was so technically naive as to conform to the definition of anti-American. Hell, at Three Mile Island, they only had two phone lines; had the same problems making phone calls like everyone else. The anti-American GPU Corporation could not even ask Bell of PA for more phone lines or special service.
But better management alone is not going to make nuclear a superior alternative. There remain a few major problems for which there are no reasonable answers. One major problem is waste disposal. IOW a solution does not exist. Current plants must now maintain large on-site storage of and expand facilities for more nuclear fuel waste. This even includes nuclear plants that have been shutdown. Second is that if nuclear were to be used exclusively for energy, then we have a severe shortage of nuclear fuels. Yes there is even a limited supply of raw nuclear fuel - just as their is a limit to the amount of oil and other fuels.
The problems with all this is politics - especially those opposed to Kyoto using Rush Limbaugh half truths. Politics is how we promote ostrich thinking.
First a solution is found in major technology advances. No way around that fact. Not in more wars or more energy production - the nonsense lies promoted by ostriches. We need only review previous adversity in The Cellar to quantum physics to therefore appreciate a neanderthal response to what we should be doing.
For example, there is no reason for every vehicle of current size to be getting less than 30 MPG. Many vehicles are still using 1968 technologies. And so the naive (including the president) instead hypes lies such as a Hydrogen fuel solution. Yes H2 fuel was a gross and obvious lie. They understand the neanderthals would never see through that lie. The politics is not about solutions. And that is the problem. Technical naivety gives political reasoning (ie Rush Limbaugh) more credence than science fact.
Solutions do exist IF we choose to seek them. Any nation that does develop new technologies compatible with the Kyoto protocols will create the new jobs, new industries, greater wealth, geo-political power, etc. That is even the lessons of history. Innovators get rich. Ostriches complain about how liberals made everything go wrong. We only need look at the sad state of GM or AT&T to see what will happen. GM got all the government protection they wanted - and therefore is classically anti-innovative. This is what happens when neanderthals oppose things that inspire and require innovation. The Kyoto protocols are about innovation.
Yes, nuclear could be an partial solution. But even nuclear has severe problems that we are ignoring. A real solution repeatedly involves a concept of doing more with less. The hybrid, which was possible even twenty years ago, is an example of what happens when industry takes the "we can't do it so we should never try" attitude. IOW thank god for pro-American companies such as Toyota and Honda who did not need the Kyoto protocols to do what historically makes America great: innovate - push out the envelope - admit to and address real world problems.
Those who say it cannot be solved and therefore we should not even try? We called them luddites. Conservative attitudes are where most luddites are found - because their solutions include fear, myopia, and the anti-American attitude of promoting the status quo.
The Kyoto Protocols are not really the issue. We are right back to the same reason why some foolishly advocate a useless ISS rather than the super collider. Why some foolishy let their emotions promote a 'Man on Mars' nonsense rather than promote the advancement of space science.
UT does properly note that nuclear can be a partial solution. There have been some interesting advancements to nuclear power. A country that does not fear to innovate should investigate or be willing to experiment with such ideas. However this will never happen when the George Jr administration takes a $450,000 campaign contribution so that First Energy can continue to operate a nuclear reactor with both an unresolved Three Mile Island type problem and a hole in the reactor vessel. The resulting book would have been entitled, "We almost lost Toledo".