3 Replies to “James Hansen Goes Nuclear”

1. I agree with most of Hanson’s arguments and have said so on my blog on the topic of Global Warming. Nuclear Power has to be part of the solution for eliminating greenhouse gases. It will become much safer as the technology matures as did commercial jet travel over the last 30 years. The damage and cost of life from Global Warming weather events are infinitely greater than all the nuclear disasters throughout history. Breeder reactor technology can be develop to make nuclear power far more cheap, safe, and sustainable for thousands of years. But the US must get back into developing this technology. Other countries are such as India and China.

2. I think there are reasonable arguments for advocating for nuclear, however I very much agree with one of the comments that were made. We all need to start using LESS ENERGY. Reducing consumption must be part of the strategy. Educating people about scarcity and the need to save energy by engaging in more responsible behaviors is part of the equation. How to send this message effectively and in a way that people accept and understand is another challenge. Among the many problems with nuclear that Mr.Hanson doesn’t mention is water. Nuclear power requires a lot of water but unfortunately water is not abundant anymore.

   1. I agree with your arguments about reducing the use of energy (see http://rsocialconscience.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/the-mother-of-all-problems-that-no-one-wants-to-deal-with/). And I agree in part with your concerns about their need for water, especially in light of the fact that our oceans are rising. But water can be piped to nuclear sites just as it is for inland communities throughout this nation. Nuclear isn’t the solution to all our energy needs. But it needs to be PART OF THE SOLUTION just as wind alone or solar alone is not the solution. We need a variety of solutions working in concert. Unfortunately competing solutions battle one another as being better than the other instead of working together to solve a BIG Problem. The problem of Global Warming is bigger than any solution and needs as many solutions to battle it as possible including nuclear (http://rsocialconscience.wordpress.com/category/environment/global-warming/). Wars are not won using a single weapon. A variety of weapons must be employed, each with their individual strengths, to win this battle. We need solutionS and we need them NOW! Later might be too late.

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