Nuclear Power for Ireland debate

[BohsPartisan]

Have you missed the entire debate? None of the sourses we use now are environmentally sustainable or safe. That does not mean you must choose from the lesser evil, it means we're fckd whether we choose fossil fuels or nuclear power. The only option is to put massive funding into R&D environmentally sustainable power sources. Hobsons choice is not an option.

[John83]

Have you missed the entire debate? None of the sourses we use now are environmentally sustainable or safe.
That's an interesting summary of your side of the 'debate'.


That does not mean you must choose from the lesser evil, it means we're fckd whether we choose fossil fuels or nuclear power. The only option is to put massive funding into R&D environmentally sustainable power sources. Hobsons choice is not an option.
Actually, it is. It's not a desirable one, but it's not necessarily unavoidable either, in spite of any amound of hand-waving about R&D.

[BohsPartisan]

You're some sophist. Your last sentance in essence is an empty formula which really brings nothing new to the debate. Its a pantomime-esque "oh no its not".
Innovation has always been a trait of humanity. In your scenario we have reached the end point of human innovation. There can be no new advances in the field of energy provision. If this were the case it would completely buck the trend of history. The invention of the waterwheel would never have come about, the steamengine would be a fantastic dream and electricity, well I'd be locked up for suggesting such heresy. Believe me, I am not waving my hands at anything. Are you so blind that you can't see the possibilities in diverting a fraction of the one trillion dollars per year that is spent on weapons of mass destruction into researching and developing new technologies for the advancement of sustainable energy instead of using that wealth for the destruction of the planet as we are now doing? The only other alternative is to return to 1970's levels of energy usage and with the difference in population since the 1970's that in reality means each household would have to subsist at 1940's levels. The other option is your nuclear option which has been tried and proven to be unsafe and expensive. The latest leak at Sellafield is further proof of this.

[Aberdonian Stu]

Eh that wasn't what he said in his last sentence.

His last sentence said it isn't necessarily unavoidable, not that it is definitely avoidable or definitely unavoidable. He gave both as an option leaving development innovation as a potential option.

Based on your argument for innovation, and I thoroughly support innovation in energy research across all fields, surely you would agree that saying we have proven nuclear power to be unsafe and therefore ceasing research in the field is stunting innovation itself.

I don't consider it to be unmanageably unsafe but let me concede that point to you for a moment and ask you this. Why stop looking for safe ways to use it? As you said we have been innovative as a species in developing energy so why rule out one because of current concerns when there may be a solution down the line?

[BohsPartisan]

Based on your argument for innovation, and I thoroughly support innovation in energy research across all fields, surely you would agree that saying we have proven nuclear power to be unsafe and therefore ceasing research in the field is stunting innovation itself.
?


I'm not saying we should cease research on it. However it has been researched far more than any of the alternatives. By all means keep researching it but don't use Humans beings as Guinea pigs as we are currently doing.

[Aberdonian Stu]

Entirely a stylistic thing, best not to quote the entire post as that makes dahamsta angry.

[John83]

You're some sophist.
Cool. Now I have something to rival Student Mullet's neo-con puppet. :)

Yes, I do think that there are problems we can't solve, at least with merely global resources. Further, the consequences of fossil fuels running out are going to bite us in the ass in just a few decades. Maybe we'll have something neat and clean by then. I hope so. I just chose to consider that we might not. If that makes me some sort of evil manipulator, so be it.

[BohsPartisan]

If that makes me some sort of evil manipulator, so be it.

Here don't be getting ahead of yourself. Theres a lot of ground between "Sophist" and "Evil Manipulator" :cool:

[wws]

I heard the nuclear debate on a radio programme a few weeks back and one of the experts said Ireland can never go Nuclear as a stand alone job - its simply not economically viable to build two of these yokes for teh ratio of users we have here - and apparently you have to build two (not just one - they have to have an "always on" nuclear yoke as it takes forever to start them up if one is down)

so in short

ireland will never be in a position to viably produce nuclear power

[Student Mullet]

Theres a lot of ground between "Sophist" and "Evil Manipulator" :cool:And that's where I live, Don't go stealing my thunder, John.