Reply #10: Nuclear power is one of those topics that is nearly impossible to discuss calmly [View All]

[toddaa]

I'm not anti nuke, but I don't see it as a solution to our energy problems because uranium, just like fossil fuel, is not a renewable resource (I'm a peak oil loony). Fission is also incredibly wasteful, and dangerous waste at that. At best, it's a temporary stop gap measure to tide us over until we can we can finally figure out how to properly create fusion power without massive energy input.

But those are nuanced discussions that require scientific knowledge that I do not claim to possess. What fascinates me about this particular incident is the engineering of the plants and not the merits or dangers of nuclear power. Engineering, like science, is not perfect. It improves over time. This disaster will require everyone to recognize the danger of building plants at sea level and assess risks to other plants that could be vulnerable to tsunamis. The solution isn't to stop innovating and retreat into the caves.

IRL I have the word engineer tacked on to my job description, but I work in IT and know that there is no engineering in software. No way IT could have come up with something like this.