5 Responses

1. It depends on how one looks at things….

   Because nucleur generators are literally thousands of times more energy efficient than fossil fuel generators, they produce very little waste. However, the nucleur waste itself is thousands of times more toxic than the waste produced by fossil fuel generators. Nucleur waste has to be tightly contained at all times and takes thousands of years to decay. Fossil fuel waste is emptied directly into the environment. However it will take hundreds of millions of years for it to dissipate.

   Another factor is nucleur weapons. Nucleur reactors can be constructed to produce radioactive byproducts which are used to manufacture incredibly destructive weapons. The worst anyone could make from fossil fuel waste is a stink bomb. However (again!), the increase in atmospheric CO2 and SO2 heats up the planet and will probably cause worldwide environmental changes which could be even more catastrophic than detonating all the nucleur weapons on earth.

2. That is what the “experts” tell us any way.

3. Yes it produces less CO2 in operation.

   CO2, however is produced in: the construciton of the site, running of the site, facilities to deal with the waste, transport to reprocessing facilities, decommissioning of the site at the end of its life, and hot air that people spout about its merits.

   On the other hand, new generation sites are producing very potent high level waste that will be unsafe for millennia to come and require transport to and storage in facilities that are geologically safe (though as any geologist will be quick to point out, we live on rafts of rock on top of molten lava, so no place is geologically safe) This sites will need constant monitoring and also require energy.

   The whole cleaner than fossil fuels is true from a CO2 perspective, yet it is still produces a lot of CO2.

   From a long term radioactivity point of view, it is much more dnagerous.

4. Yes, one ton Nuc fuel = one million ton of fossil….do the math

5. It depends on your definition of “clean”.

   If you mean that the air is cleaner – yes, because there are no greenhouse emissions from nuclear plants. Smog free.

   However, if you consider the toxic consequences of the spent fuel…..