You can't separate civilian and military nuclear power. This drives fear of nuclear. We need to come to terms with this, and build a positive vision of a green nuclear-powered civilization.
When Japan talks about their peaceful nuclear program, they are sure to mention how much plutonium they have, and how successful their rocket program has been. They want you to know how close they are.
Progress in civilization is largely denser forms of energy and power generation. Renewables are too low-density, and thus high-impact. An individual's lifetime energy use can fit in a few kilograms of uranium. Very low actual waste.
Nukes are terrifyingly powerful. We can't shy away from this. We have to build a glorious vision of the future that includes this power. On the positive side, nukes have made pointless war much less desirable.
The best way to improve nuclear as an option is to build and use more of it, so we get better at it and it gets cheaper. So nuclear needs advocacy. Pro-nuclear activism is effective, simply because there has been so little of it.
Keeping nuclear plants running, and building more, with experienced staff, keeps the technology and institutional knowhow alive. If we shut them down, there's a lot we will have to re-develop the hard way.
The salon was great. Check it out for these and many other interesting ideas. And check out @ShellenbergerMD's work.
