randalleavitt's Feed

Smarter Use of Nuclear Waste

randalleavitt — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:16:00 -0500

W.H. Hannum, G.E. Marsh, G.S. Stanford - Scientific American, 2005 December: Nuclear reactors that use a fast neutron spectrum, and pyrometallurgical processing to recycle fuel, are efficient. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: top10, Date: 2005, Author: Hannum W H, Author: Marsh G E, Author: Stanford G S, Title: Smarter Use of Nuclear Waste, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Nuclear Fundamentalism and the Iran Story

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:30:00 -0400

Norman Soloman - 2005 May 5: Reviews the political decisions that are increasing the availability of nuclear weapons. The author contends that we have to forego the benefits of nuclear power because it causes the spread of nuclear weapons. I don't agree with this position. Shutting down nuclear power plants in some countries will not eliminate the interest in nuclear weapons. However, the problem involves many levels of political, military, and cultural maneuvering and the spread of nuclear weapons seems to be one of the unhappy outcomes of all this. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2005, Author: Soloman N, Title: Nuclear Fundamentalism and the Iran Story, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Environmental Heresies

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:00:00 -0400

Stewart Brand - 2005 May: Why environmentalists need new thinking about population growth, urbanization, genetically engineered organisms, and nuclear power. The environmentalist movement is dominated by dogmatic zealots who have a narrow concept of what needs to be done next. For these fanatics new information that demands a new approach is unwelcome. However, lots of new information is available. For instance, the world's human population has levelled off and is beginning to decline because most people live in cities where raising children is difficult. Environmentalists need to re-think their concerns. The big issue is climate change. We need to de-carbonize our energy production. The environmentalist's quasi-religious opposition to nuclear power is preventing this change. We are at a dangerous point where one more nuclear accident, even a small one, could seal off this avenue of hope. We need a revitalized nuclear initiative now. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2005, Author: Brand S, Title: Environmental Heresies, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Burning Bright: Nuclear Energy's Future