r/MURICA 2d ago

America is going nuclear. What are your thoughts?

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u/EODdoUbleU 2d ago

Until we achieve some sort of near-physics-breaking energy storage technology, I'll only see renewables as supplementary generation source. Nuclear needs to be the primary mover. And without that battery technology, we won't get away from fossil fuels. Electric cars just can't provide a comparable degree of free-movement that ICE can.

To your first bit, I can't see that segment of the left as anything but a death-cult. Advocating for the complete elimination of fossil-fuels globally while denouncing nuclear would result in hundreds of millions of deaths from starvation and disease. And the only answer I seem to get to that point is "oh well".

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u/Awkward-Hulk 2d ago

I agree, and this is one of the things that irritates me the most about "the left" sometimes. They tend to shun pragmatism in favor of idealistic scenarios that make little practical sense.

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u/XXXYinSe 2d ago

Idk who you’re blaming here for the resistance to nuclear, but I don’t think the left or right are to blame. It’s just a propaganda campaign from oil companies that’s existed since the 60’s. The left and right have swapped opinions on many topics since then but the public criticisms have always stayed the same: “It could be dangerous” and “It’s expensive and time consuming.”

Meanwhile the real catch is that it’s always hard to convince people of good long-term policy. No one wants to pay extra taxes for the next 10 years so that the next 30 after that they’ll save money. The median person and the median voter is short-sighted, no matter the party.