Hi Radu,
Please explain what you see as the "permanent problem for the Nevada state" in all this? Also, what do you see as a solution to this "problem"?
Regards,
Andy
-----Original Message-----
From: Pomirleanu, Radu [mailto:PomirlR@westinghouse.com]
Sent: Thursday April 25, 2002 8:24 AM
To: 'cdn-nucl-l@mailman.McMaster.CA'
Subject: [cdn-nucl-l] Re: Clean air is the issue, not global warming
"What bothers me about many of the strong supporters of Kyoto is that they
seem to focus on CO2 and "global warming".
Clean air is the issue - eliminating the polluted air, as described below.
Also, these activists exclude nuclear energy as part of the solution. "
While it is true that on SHORT TERM the local pollution is the more obvoius
problem, let's not forget that conservation laws are applicable everywhere.
That means that if you produce something and don't consume it somehow, it
will accumulate somewhere (dear Reynolds theorem). While it is still
debatable that the CO2 layer high above in the atmosphere has something to
do with global warming, let's not forget that it is nonetheless accumulating
upthere, because the Earth was probably not designed to consume the CO2
produced by humans, and in the end it may become a problem (show me
something that continuosly accumulates and it's not becoming a problem!).
Summarizing, while the focus on the clean air is just and must be addressed
for our sake, it is in the same time near sighted. I think this is what the
Kyoto agreement is about.
As for the nuclear industry as the part of the solution, I think that it can
be indeed a solution as long as it is not generating other long-term
problems, such as spent nuclear fuel storage. Stucking the spent fuel in the
depth of a mountain after transporting it 3,000 miles through half of US is
just a temporary "long-term solution", and it will actually be a permament
problem for the Nevada state (again a conservation law).
I think the engineering education and practice should start be geared
towards sustainable solutions, i.e. solutions that will be contained within
themseves and will not generate headaches for future generations. This is of
course if we don't consider the Earth as our rightfull good, for our
immediate pleasure and consumption.
Sincerely,
Radu Pomirleanu
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