- Climate Change and the polarization of debate
- The topic of climate change is highly controversial. The mainstream viewpoint is that the climate is changing drastically, and if action is not taken, there is a dystopian future lying in wait in the next 100 years. I would say that before this school year, I found myself mostly in this category. I believed what the consensus of scientists seemed to say, and everyone disagreeing was mocked online. Matt Ridley, a so called Climate Lukewarmer argues that the debate has become too polarized. He has published articles in the Wall Street Journal, the Times, and the Economist on the topic of warming, arguing that the planet is warming, but not nearly as fast, or as detrimentally as the IPCC would say. The majority of the public would tend to think that global warming is real, but they have not delved further into the science to find out for themselves. In essence, it has become a debate of rhetoric, and not evidence, filled with straw men and inflammatory ad hominems on both sides.
- https://learningsuite.byu.edu/plugins/Upload/fileDownload.php?fileId=65a14fa1-1MD6-vEuH-hJjS-Qx4e8bf0e401
- Nuclear Safety:
- Everyone knows the names of Fukushima and Chernobyl. These were the worst disasters in nuclear history. When fatalities are looked at however, they were relatively mild compared with other industrial disasters. Chernobyl killed 50 people in the initial blast and clean up, and another 9000 in the after effects of low level radiation. The worst chemical plant disaster Bhopal killed 16000 in the weeks after, and injured up to 500,000 in the following years. Because of these high profile disasters, nuclear plants have been regulated almost out of existence when in reality they are safe. Nuclear energy however provides the best shot we have at a future without CO2.
- https://ourworldindata.org/what-was-the-death-toll-from-chernobyl-and-fukushima
- Nuclear waste:
- How the US can deal with nuclear waste is huge. Most of the waste has much more energy left in it, and can be recycled, but current laws prevent it. We only get 5% of the possible energy out of the rods, and then they are shipped to Nevada to be stored underground. If the government would let companies, more energy could safely be produced.
- http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-wastes/radioactive-waste-management.aspx
The topic of climate change is the most important to me. I would love to dive deeper into the literature and find out for myself what is really going on in the planet. I wish that I could communicate more eloquently with others in able to learn without starting any kind of arguments.
I especially liked the first point about climate change as I think most topics like it have indeed become polarized. Even if climate change isn't going to lead us into a Hunger Games-esque dystopia, that doesn't mean it isn't a real problem with real repercussions for us. I think it's good to have more nuanced opinions about topics such as that.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've seen, people are so scared of nuclear waste and the safety of nuclear power plants from the media, but as you point out, much of that fear is not grounded in fact. Maybe if the communication regarding nuclear power and waste in the media was toned down or slightly different verbiage were used the public would not be so fearful.
ReplyDeleteI am passionate about nuclear energy as well-- including climate change, nuclear safety, and nuclear waste-- because I feel that it's a good option for the growing "energy crisis". However, like you, I believe that the public is constantly taught to fear and criticize anything nuclear. What if the true science behind nuclear energy was broadly understood?
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