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ZeroGravitasyesterday at 8:04 PM4 repliesview on HN

Why do so many nuclear fans try to suggest climate change only exists if you like nuclear? It's very odd.

Compare:

If you believe COVID exists you need to use hydroxychloroquine.

It makes you sound like you don't even believe in the problem you are proposing an (unpopular with experts) solution for.


Replies

simplylukeyesterday at 8:11 PM

> suggest climate change only exists if you like nuclear

That is a very uncharitable reading of what I'm saying.

What I am saying is that if you're serious about believing climate change is a large threat (I do), you should be all-in on known solutions for reliable grid-level power. The current fallback for when renewables can't meet grid demand is burning natural gas in modernized grids and coal in grids stuck in the 1800s.

> unpopular with experts

How much of this is based on how expensive it is to bring a powerplant online? How much of that expense is based on endless lawsuits from environmental groups and weaponized environmental laws? Why can the navy without those restrictions build safe reactors for ~$2million/megawatt?

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selfmodruntimeyesterday at 9:58 PM

Renewables can give us large amounts of energy but when you need reliable output 24/7/356 you can choose thermal, gas, coal or nuclear. Not all countries have access to thermal energy so if you want to become carbon neutral nuclear is the only valid choice for that aspect.

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Manuel_Dyesterday at 9:07 PM

The analogy breaks down because hydroxychloroquine does not effectively treat Covid. Whereas nuclear power is carbon free (to be pedantic, it's carbon intensity is on par with that of most renewables).

illiac786yesterday at 8:26 PM

> Why do so many nuclear fans try to suggest climate change only exists if you like nuclear? It's very odd.

You’re putting the answer you want to hear (“because they are nuclear fans”) in the question, making it extremely obvious but then stating it is “odd”, as if the answer wasn’t straight forward.

Disingenuous – is the word describing this, I believe.

Also you need to check your concepts. “Climate change” is what we want to prevent (more like catastrophe, really, by now).