Kicking the Nuclear Habit

>>Forget closing down nuclear power plants... what we *really* need to do is figure out nuclear fusion. Right now all we have is fission.<<

You raise a good point: I am against nuclear fission for energy and against nuclear weapons. I am not against nuclear fusion at this time; it might be a promising resource if we could figure out how to use it.

>>Fusion wouldn't have the dangerous byproducts, and a little bit of fuel would give us power for a looooooong time.<<

If we develop nuclear fusion, I'll check then to see whether it has objectionable waste products and/or a dangerously high risk factor in terms of accidents. I don't have enough information to make that call now. So I'm in favor of exploring the possibilities of nuclear fusion.

There is truth in what you say -- but in my experience, educating people about the "why" is a vital step in pursuing the "how." When they are convinced of the need to do something, they will find a way to accomplish it.

I think it is possible, although it may not be practicable. I am definitely not sure that humanity is mature enough to make this change, although I would be delighted and impressed if it happens.

Variously...

1) Nuclear weapons are considered powerful by some people, who argue that nuclear weapons dissuade others from attacking a nation that has them. This does not seem to be very effective, as laid out in the original article; nuclear powers are still embrangled in all manner of warfare. That undermines the argument that these weapons have value.

2) Nuclear weapons are extremely expensive, and extremely risky, but deliver little or no practical benefit. Funds devoted to them could be better used elsewhere, and frugality is a mature and reasonable virtue.

3) Nuclear weapons are extremely dangerous. They could destroy or severely impair the human species. Indeed, previous deployments and tests of nuclear bombs have created much human wreckage; so has the use of depleted uranium ammunition. This is not just bodily damage, but genetic damage to exposed populations. The first duty of a species is to survive; if it fails at that, it is a failure, period. Nuclear weapons give us the ability to eradicate our own species (along with much other life on Earth), rending humanity a total failure. Removing nuclear weapons would protect humanity from this form of self-annihilation, and species survival is a mature and reasonable goal.

I generally disapprove of things which make the world less hospitable to life (as demonstrated by various accidents) and which have the potential for extreme biosphere damage. I believe in not sawing off the branch I'm standing on.