This weekend I got into a debate with my girlfriend’s family members about the potential use of nuclear energy. Being a so called “tree-hugger”, although a very bad one, I was opposed to the proliferation of nuclear energy. I have two reasons for my position:
1) Use what we already have – I personally feel that we could create a sustainable world to live in, if everyone on this earth could learn to live in a sustainable manner. In other words: cut back on waste, choose environmentally friendly alternatives, and stop reproducing like bunnies.
2) Nuclear energy is a treatment for the symptoms, not a cure for the disease – Yes, nuclear energy could provide us with enough energy to last us many lifetimes, but then what? When will our obsessive need for “more” stop? I think its a better idea for us to just cure the human “disease” of always wanting “more”.
Anyways, I pretty much loss the argument because my knowledge of nuclear power is very limited. So what does a naturally curious person like myself do? I Wikipedia “nuclear power” and began reading. It was a pretty interesting article and I got a pretty comprehensive summary of the nuclear process. But what made me raised an eyebrow and eventually led me to write this blog entry was this one line:
“Today we stock containers of waste because currently scientists don’t know how to reduce or eliminate the toxicity, but maybe in 100 years perhaps scientists will”
Ok… I am a gambler at heart, but even I would be afraid to make this bet. But no worries, there are plenty of “nuclear scientists” out there who have already made this bet for all of us :). So scream out loud with me, “I see your 100 and raise you ALL IN!!!”.
Anyways, I guess my point is. I see why nuclear power is necessary because fossil fuel is ruining our environment, highly unsustainable, and is controlled my loonies :) (come on, you know its true, its not like oil fields are controlled by nuns or the Dalai Lama). But I think that instead of seeing nuclear energy as a magic bullet, we should approach it as more of a last alternative, or a temporary solution. The real solution is to change the way we think and live our lives.
Btw, sorry, no one is building a nuclear bomb here. Just a provocative title to attract your attention. ;)