RE: Why nuclear power still matters
It's interesting to read lines like 'we as a species refuse to learn
from our mistakes' and such emotional appeals, when despite all
its problems, Nuclear power has a track record of working, and
while it's dangerous, so is everything else. Nuclear accidents
COULD kill tens of thousands of people. Dam breaks HAVE killed
tens of thousands of people. Yet why are we not tearing down all
the hydropower.
There's promise in 'alternative' energy but so far they all have
one huge failing, no way to store energy, and huge space
requirements. Yes, with research and funding, some of these
problems can be solved or minimized... but too often, fans and
proponents of these are like guys smitten with a pretty girl they
hardly know: she's so beautiful she just has to be perfect, and
any issues she might have, they could fix if she'd just give them a
chance... Sorry, no one is perfect, and neither is any technology.
It'd be easier to take alternative energy fans more seriously if
they'd take the limitations of their favorite tech more seriously
themselves. In the meantime, nuclear power actually works, on a
large scale. And all the 'promise' in the world can't replace that
track record. Yes, it's 'unfair' that people won't just take that leap
of faith and invest in something that may never work the way you
hope... but trust in anything is built incrementally. That's just how
it goes, pretty girl or power plant.
