David Suzuki: Reacting to the nuclear trend

[bananas]

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/article/319968

Reacting to the nuclear trend
Published Monday June 9th, 2008
David Suzuki with Faisal Moola - Science Matters

One could be forgiven for thinking we've overcome the problems associated with nuclear power. Everywhere you turn, nuclear is being touted as a "green" energy source and a solution to global warming. Our prime minister recently sang the benefits of both nuclear power and uranium mining in a speech to a business crowd in London, England. "As the largest producer of uranium, we can contribute to the renaissance of nuclear energy, a no-emissions source that will be expanding here in Britain and around the world," Stephen Harper said.

If only it were so easy. Those who remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island also remember a time of concern about nuclear waste, nuclear-weapons proliferation, accidents at nuclear power plants, pollution from uranium mining . . .

Have those problems gone away? Has science found a way to deal with them? Unfortunately, the answer is no -- and those aren't the only problems. Nuclear power is also expensive and heavily subsidized by taxpayers, and it isn't even totally emissions-free. Although nuclear's ability to provide large-scale continuous power makes it tempting, we have better ways to meet our needs.

<snip>

As we rethink our energy future in light of the dangers of further increasing greenhouse gases, we have an enormous opportunity. I believe that rather than putting all of our faith in big technology, investing in a decentralized grid of diverse, small-scale renewable energy sources would be far more resilient and reliable.

<snip>

- David Suzuki is a well-known Canadian scientist and environmentalist. Dr. Faisal Moola is the Director of Science at the David Suzuki Foundation. Their column appears regularly in the Times & Transcript. Take the Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org

[NMDemDist2]

1. this thread will be full of 'ignored' posts for me I bet LOL and...

I wish we could get a 'decentralized grid of diverse, small-scale renewable energy sources '

it's really our only chance. but the BigOil/Electric/PTB won't sit still for it. I fear it will come about only as we rebuild after the meltdown.....

[kristopher]

6. I don't think so. They are not able to stop it.

Read this thread if you haven't.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=153706&mesg_id=153706

[NNadir]

2. Of course, the implication that David Suzuki has anything more than a cartoon knowledge of the...

...subject is, well, cartoonish.

The entire fundie anti-nuke position rests on appeal to "experts" - usually pop figures - who are not "experts" at all.

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-authority.html

If you would like to produce ONE paper that David Suzuki has produced on the chemistry of actinides, reactor physics, risk analysis, you are free to do so.'

But you can't and you won't, because your position is simply cartoonish selective attention.

Get back to us when you give a shit whether David Suzuki has developed an interest in whether the question of dangerous fossil fuel waste, dangerous fossil fuel weapons diversion, dangerous fossil fuel terrorism, dangerous fossil fuel war and dangerous fossil fuel depletion has been solved.

You won't. You couldn't care less.

[truebrit71]

3. I have really tried not to do this with you and your posts...

...but your most recent outbursts have pushed me over the edge.

You are a well-known nukular-apologist despite ALL of the hazards associated with that method of generating power, but your vitriole has risen to a level of nastiness and venom I no longer wish to read.

Welcome to ignore.

[Javaman]

7. I find nnadirs posts odd in the way I find guys screaming on the

street corner at imaginary ghosts of Millard Filmore, odd.

He rants, he raves, but in the end, there are a few people here on DU that give him an amazing smack down when he goes to far.

When I see anything to do with nuclear power, I know he will chime in. I now find his insulting (everyone who is against nuke power is a fundie) yet amusing because it's the same thing over and over and over again and he does it with such bizarre misplaced passion. LOL

So when he goes off on a nuclear power is the best thing since sliced bread jag, I just sort of smile in that, "the man is insane and dangerous" sort of way and think to my self, "me thinks he protests to much".

[NNadir]

9. Really? The anti-nuke position isn't the same thing over and over and over again?

They don't pay selective attention to, say, Chernobyl?

They don't drag out TV personalities as "experts?"

Who knew?

In general, I will not desist from pointing out that a fundementalist is a person who insists on repeating dogma in the face of all evidence.

To wit:

And then they make sure that you hear the words of the Union of Concerned "Scientists" (quotation marks mine) who has a "nuclear expert" named David Lochbaum. And why is David Lochbaum an expert?

Has he published a series of famous papers on mass balance of minor actinide burn-up in the cores of light water reactors? Is he a world expert on germanium based detection of neutron fluxes? Does he supervise a team of graduate students researching non destructive testing of fuel rods achieving high burn-ups in reactor cores? Is he a much sought lecturer on the subject of separations of europium from curium in electrolytic pyroprocessing of metallic spent nuclear fuels?

Well no.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/10/212711/206">New York Times Makes Sure You Have David Lochbaum's Opinion On Nuclear Energy.

It would be interesting to find out if any of our fundementalist anti-nukes have 1) Stopped repeating themselves endlessly about how renewables will save us. 2) Found a case of a single death from nuclear power in the United States in the last 20 years 3) Established that no one has died from dangerous fossil fuel war, dangerous fossil fuel terrorism, dangerous fossil fuel waste, dangerous fossil fuel accidents or dangerous fossil fuel depletion in the last 20 years.

I can repeat myself as often as the fundies do. Fundies post their selective attention rhetoric here all day, day after day, minute by minute.

The number of fundies who can support any of their arguments with data, scientific references, or, in fact any measure of external costs is what it has been since 2002, zero.

The difference between me and them of course, is that I know what I am talking about.

[Javaman]

10. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL so predictable! LOLOLOLOLOL

knock yourself out. You have become a parody of yourself. :)

[NNadir]

16. On the other hand, there is nothing to parody about your posts.

Thus far, from what I can tell, they have no content whatsoever.

I cannot recall a single useful, insightful post you have made on this website of any kind.

In fact, I cannot recall a single post of any kind you have made on this website.

But I'm sure you and your mom find you memorable.

[Javaman]

20. Here's a shovel, keep digging. LOL

thanks for the endless entertainment!

[NNadir]

21. LOL. ROFL. IBTL. AFAICT. AFIK.

Whatever.

[Javaman]

22. Simply classic!! you are a regular comedic genius!!

LOLOLOLOL

[NNadir]

24. You're too kind. The subtle poetic irony of your deeply insightful literary commentary

stirs even the most prosaic soul. I stand in silent awe, my best wit acquiver with anticipation, hanging with hope to be your hagiographer, pregnant with potential paens to your epic odic idylls of words, for thine next sweet arrangement of the letters L and O and LOL.

[Javaman]

25. deep down there? :) Here's another shovel! LOL nt

[NNadir]

26. OMFG! FBI! GR8! LMFAO!

What a wit.

Just asking, is this something you do while diagonalizing the associated matrices of hamiltonian spin systems, or do you write your highly intellectual posts because you've seen the Steven Colbert rerun 18 times before?

Never mind.

I really don't want to know.

If by the way, you have something to say about energy - and apparently you don't - this is the Environment and Energy forum.

[Javaman]

28. Man, you just will never get it will you? LOLOLOLOLOL

have fun!

[Systematic Chaos]

11. "...an amazing smackdown..."?

Funny, all I ever seem to see in response to his posts is more of the same outright bullshit and "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR YYYOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!!".

That equates to "smackdown" about as much as a few solar pool heaters amounts to weaning the US off of coal and oil.

[Javaman]

13. Then you aren't paying attention now are you?

There have been several in the past that have shut him down completely.

Oh btw, I'm sure nnadir can defend himself.

have a great day! :)

[Dogmudgeon]

14. Yeah, that NNadir sure is a mean ol' grouch

But what about the anti-nuclear DUers who accuse, and rant, and insult people?

Nearly every anti-nuclearist here has been diligent about insulting "the Enemy" -- nearly always without provocation.

By the way, be careful with those Shakespeare quotes. They tend to backfire. (Remember Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.)

--p!

[Javaman]

23. Ah another defender!! have fun!!

LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!

man, talk about coming out of the woodwork.

it doesn't take much! LOL

[Dogmudgeon]

27. Too much!

--p!

[Dogmudgeon]

4. He is a scientist. And a TV personality.

He was a geneticist at the http://www.davidsuzuki.org/About_us/Dr_David_Suzuki/">University of British Columbia at Vancouver.

He's had a couple of TV shows, too.

Actinides? What about the http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.43afce2fac27e890311ba0a347a062a0/?vgnextoid=9e4df9669fa14010VgnVCM100000880a260aRCRD">Nielsens?

Where are you priorities, man?

--p!

[Systematic Chaos]

12. Yeah, but since he probably never uses the word "fundie"

every thing he says must be the fucking golden gospel truth, right?

"I'll take my hype, lies and misinformation with a 5-gallon econo-drum of yummy sweet syrup, thankyaverymuch!"

[ElectricGrid]

5. man it's easy to fish you out of the woodwork.

[Javaman]

8. isn't it, though? lol nt

[losthills]

15. "We have better ways to meet our needs."

That about says it all....

[NNadir]

17. After checking out Sukuki's "would you buy stuff from the David Sukuzi Foundation" website, I

decided to check out David Suzuki's list of scientific publications on energy and the environment.

(And no, I don't want to buy a coffee mug from the "David Suzuki Foundation." In fact, I don't want any plastic, metal or cotton crap from the David Suzuki Foundation.)

I checked "Environmental Science and Technology." Zero publications.

I checked "Inorganic Chemistry" - a journal where actinide chemistry is frequently discussed. Zero publications.

I checked "Total Science of the Environment."

Zero publications.

I checked "Energy and Fuels" Zero publications.

I checked "Energy" Zero publications.

I checked all of the journals of the Royal Chemistry Society, including "Green Chemistry," "Faraday Transactions" and many other journals. Zero publications.

I checked "Fuel." Zero publications.

I checked "Nuclear Science and Engineering." Zero publications.

I checked "Geophysical Letters." Zero publications.

I'm sure though, there is some reason that he is an "expert" on nuclear energy and used nuclear fuel. From what I can tell, the main reason, in the mind of the fundie anti-nuke community at least, is that he tells them what they want to hear.

What a surprise!

Like all cults, the anti-nuke cult is most notable for hearing what it wants to hear.

[losthills]

18. Please give us a complete list of your peer reviewed

articles in respected scientific journals.

[losthills]

19. That's what I thought......... ........ ......... ..........................

[jpak]

29. Don't hold yer breath

:evilgrin: