Reply To: turn heat into electricity

[zapkitty]

First, a side note: As we type at our keyboards, holes in the basements of three reactor buildings in Fukushima are still quietly spilling radioactive debris nonstop even as the oligarchy flat-out lies about it to the public… with impunity. So all standards, from the TEPCO definition of [em]”It’s not a radiation kill unless it burns you down where you stand!”[/em] to the Greenpeace refrain of [em]”Chernobyl is still killing people to this very day!”[/em], all prior definitions of fission accident costs and casualties are still waiting to be rewritten by Fukushima. So [em]”The record thus far…”[/em] might not be the best place to make a stand on the safety of fission.

dennisp wrote: Zapkitty: How is the situation you describe any different than it’s been for the entire history of fission reactors, and the demonstrated safety record they’ve already achieved despite using technologies with far less inherent safety than what’s available now?

It differs because of the simple fact, the undeniable fact that the <1% have been busy dismantling the regulatory structure that backs up whatever claims one may wish to make about fission safety… and they've made it very clear that they don't intend to stop any time soon… or ever. They gained their power through control of access to power and they do not intend to give that up.

dennisp wrote: And LFTR would be superior to today’s technology…

The technology does not matter, it’s the absolute worst-case damage multiplied by the terminally ingrained indifference of the people running the planet. To swipe from a similar thread on the subject: [em]”An oligarch looking for a way to add a .001% margin to a multi-billion dollar profit on a balance sheet can do more damage and inflict more misery than all the terrorists that ever were… and couldn’t care less.”[/em]

The times they are a’changing and although our rulers may be getting more used to displaying their power openly they certainly aren’t getting any smarter. It doesn’t matter what all an engineer calculates that could go wrong with a given tech… not unless the engineer also calculates the possible results from combining a given tech with a total disregard for rules, laws, regulations, common sense and the existence of other people.

dennisp wrote: It’s not as good as FF but in case we don’t achieve fusion, it’s probably our best shot at an energy-rich, carbon-free society. It’s nice to have backup plans.

As for climate… time is the killer, literally. The methane clathrates are bubbling and we only have years, not decades, to begin averting the deaths of billions.

Deaths that need not even have been risked but for the oligarchic’ insistence on gaming the system. The side-effects of that particular power-play by the <1% have been magnified by their immense wealth into truly dire consequences for the rest of humanity.

Fatal consequences if we’re not very swift, very careful and and very lucky.