[HN Gopher] Shutting down nuclear power could increase air pollu...
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       Shutting down nuclear power could increase air pollution: study
        
       Author : hhs
       Score  : 61 points
       Date   : 2023-04-10 22:14 UTC (45 minutes ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (news.mit.edu)
 (TXT) w3m dump (news.mit.edu)
        
       | i-use-nixos-btw wrote:
       | nicholas_cage_you_dont_say.gif
        
       | ubermonkey wrote:
       | I mean, obviously?
        
       | nestorD wrote:
       | The headline feels very "water is wet" (nuclear does not produce
       | air pollution so replacing is a net loss fir air quality) but the
       | text is slightly more motivated in pointing out that policy
       | should take into account the (predictable) mortality due to air
       | quality when considering ways to phase out nuclear (which they
       | estimate to 5200 death a year in the US if one were to fully
       | replace nuclear power).
        
       | TimTheTinker wrote:
       | I don't understand the reasoning for phasing out nuclear power.
       | Is that really what we want to aim for? Why?
       | 
       | I understand the public as a whole is afraid because they
       | remember events like Chernobyl and Fukushima, but those were pre-
       | Generation-III reactors (Chernobyl was generation 1, Fukushima
       | was generation 2). Modern designs are far safer. We've learned so
       | much since the mid-20th century. People can be told this - it's a
       | simple explanation.
       | 
       | Micro-reactors in particular could become a huge boon to society.
       | All US submarines and aircraft carriers have been nuclear-powered
       | for decades; and it's been decades without any reactor-related
       | incidents.
       | 
       | The conspiracy theorist in my head wants to blame it on *someone*
       | in the US government/industrial complex who stands to make a lot
       | of money from selling other energy sources. :-/
        
         | charlieyu1 wrote:
         | All things work perfectly until they don't. We are at a stage
         | of humanity right before fusion power becomes the norm anyway.
         | No point using a short term solution where an accident makes
         | land of the size of a city uninhabitable for 1000 years.
        
           | notfromhere wrote:
           | There is little evidence to suggest we're anywhere near
           | fusion power.
        
             | charlieyu1 wrote:
             | Not 10-20 years maybe, but 50 years? Pretty high chance.
        
         | kelseyfrog wrote:
         | > Chernobyl was generation 1, Fukushima was generation 2
         | 
         | Just extrapolating the sequence, the next disaster will take
         | place in a generation 3 reactor.
        
       | ZeroGravitas wrote:
       | > Our scenario of removing nuclear power results in compensation
       | by coal, gas and oil, resulting in increases in PM2.5 and ozone
       | that lead to an extra 5,200 annual mortalities.
       | 
       | They assume they'll be replaced with fossil fuels. So really the
       | title should be "burning more fossil fuels will increase air
       | pollution".
        
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       (page generated 2023-04-10 23:00 UTC)