On 2021-11-24 19:55, Karl Auer wrote: >> On Wed, 2021-11-24 at 17:34 +1100, David wrote:> >> In any case, there are many other reasons why nuclear power at this point in >> our development is dangerous. Here are some of them: > [...] > While I agree with your points, I can't help feeling that they are > superfluous. It is testament to the level of ignorance and purblind optimism > around nuclear power that it is remotely necessary to advance such arguments > except maybe (e), yet here we are.
Karl, that's an interesting criticism... The meta-argument I was attempting to make is that few voters & politicians, comparatively speaking, seem to have the capacity, intellectual honesty, and political courage to conceive and accept the consequences of a system-based argument on it's merits. We see superficial tirades by politicians every day on the news... "we must open up the borders to get the economy going", "we must increase immigration to help the construction industry", "we must subsidise first-home buyers", "we must subsidise the coal industry to save jobs" and on and on and on. Not to mention such egregious gems as the Coalition's campaign against Labor's electric vehicle policy during the last election - see for example https://www.drive.com.au/news/why-electric-cars-won-t-end-the-weekend/ QUOTE After a scare campaign by the Morrison Government that included the Prime Minister claiming Bill Shorten wanted to “end the weekend” by forcing people out of SUVs and Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash said Labor’s target of 50 per cent electric vehicles by 2030 would mean tradies’ “favourites utes” would be banned, the car industry is preparing to meet the demands of new car buyers. UNQUOTE As we all know, Morrison went on to win that election, to proclaim on election night "I believe in miracles" and later, in a speech to the Australian Christian Lobby, to imply he was an instrument of his god - see for example https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/26/scott-morrison-tells-christian-conference-he-was-called-to-do-gods-work-as-prime-minister QUOTE Scott Morrison has asked a national conference of Christian churches to help him help Australia, while revealing his belief that he and his wife, Jenny, have been called upon to do God’s work. UNQUOTE I find all this deeply depressing. Such irrational views (irrational in my view, anyway) have no place in a secular Society, and IMO they do not bode well for the fate of humanity when they're proselytised by a national leader. I apologise for airing such potentially contentious views on Link if I've upset anyone, but this is _serious_ stuff. > By way of analogy: > > It is a very bad idea to leap out of a second-floor window. You'll almost > certainly be injured; you may even die. Sure, but as the man falling past the second floor said, "So far, so good!". > Listing those other risks alongside the inherent risks puts all the risks > into the same category. This is damagingly misleading. The risks you list > (except (e)) are basically manageable on a human scale and in human > timeframes - that's one category. Considered separately, maybe, but as a complete, mutually inter-dependent system, I can't agree. > [4] Which [ I do SO hope is not applicable to me here :-) Full disclosure, > I'm no physicist, I just read lots... Or me (:-), but I do value this discussion... I have a little Physics, but most of my understanding of nuclear power issues comes from a Control Systems Engineer who worked for the IAEA in Vienna in his younger days. And take heart - Reality always Wins eventually! Cheers, David L. _______________________________________________ Link mailing list Link@anu.edu.au https://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
