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Re: [Phys-L] Is Nuclear Power the Answer?

Todd,
These are all long-neglected. questions that we had better going about the
business and work of answering.
Given our own reality that those who have more money will be able to access
more energy, capitalism will just work the same.
We already have and mostly accept huge differences in a wide range of
commodities accessible in accordance with income or money on hand. Why
should I have equal access to energy if I am not
http://www.thebus.org/updates/data/PresidentsDay_Feb17_2014.pdf to work,
for example?
As for other nations, we will be forced to negotiate, or to war and
negotiate over a spectrum of dwindling resources, including energy.
One reality of the moment is that U of MD engineering students are
inventing a variety of machines to be driven entirely by human power on
stationary bicycles for regions and nations where there is no electrical
grid.
But who decides the apportioning?
We have no choice but develop international organization(s) to deal with
this.
I figure that since we already have calculations about remaining fuel we
would be capable of calculating an apportionment that would allow the bulk
of nations to survive.
Bill Norwood, U of MD at College Park
On Mar 2, 2014 2:29 PM, "Todd K. Pedlar" <todd.pedlar@luther.edu> wrote:

And who is it, exactly, that gets to determine what one's "fair share" is?
On what basis will such a decision be made? Is the "fair share" in an
industrialized and technologically advanced country like the US going to be
larger than that in Namibia, or will there be a one-size fits all solution?
Is this an internationally administered overlordship that you envision or
is there going to be respect paid to national sovereignty in such matters?

On Sunday, March 2, 2014, Bill Norwood <bnorwood111@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi all,
I'm new to Phys-1.
I am in favor of calculating per capita fair share of sustainable energy,
and that would exclude nuclear for now because we don't know how to
safely
use it.
But for persons who must have more than their fair share the charge per
energy unit would dramatically increase, and that money could fund energy
research and assist persons requiring extra energy for life support.
It had been shown all over the world throughout history that humans can
get
by on very little energy use.
My experiment was to use no electricity at all for a year, in an
apartment.
I ditched the car 9 years ago.
I live in a humbler place than considered affordable for me, and that
conserves a bunch of energy.
I use my bike tires about 1500 miles after they are considered to be worn
out.
There are many, many things each of us can do to bring under better
control
our wanton, reckless, decadent and irresponsible wastage of energy.
And by the way I recently helped my bro in PA cut up some firewood. We
did
it with ax and hand saw and got good exercise.

Bill Norwood, U of MD at College Park.
On Mar 2, 2014 1:17 PM, "Richard Hake" <rrhake@earthlink.net> wrote:

According to the Sierra Club (2014) at <http://bit.ly/1e3Gs5W>
"Nuclear
Power Doesn't Make Sense."

And Helen Caldicott (2006) <http://bit.ly/1eHhNoh> authored a book
titled
"Nuclear Power IS NOT the Answer" - see <http://amzn.to/1nWvobG>.

On the other hand, James Hansen (2014) <http://bit.ly/omiMY3> in
"Renewable Energy, Nuclear Power, and Galileo" at <
http://bit.ly/1goLfgs
,
argues that nuclear power plus a carbon tax IS the answer.

Any comments?

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University;
Honorary
Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands; President,
PEdants
for Definitive Academic References which Recognize the Invention of the
Internet (PEDARRII); LINKS TO: Academia <http://bit.ly/a8ixxm>;
Articles <
http://bit.ly/a6M5y0>; Blog <http://bit.ly/9yGsXh>; Facebook <
http://on.fb.me/XI7EKm>; GooglePlus <http://bit.ly/KwZ6mE>; Google
Scholar <http://bit.ly/Wz2FP3>; Linked In <http://linkd.in/14uycpW>;
Research Gate <http://bit.ly/1fJiSwB>; Socratic Dialogue Inducing
(SDI)
Labs <http://bit.ly/9nGd3M>; Twitter <http://bit.ly/juvd52>.

"Yes, a few scientists assert that renewables alone are sufficient, a
position that gets applause. As for me, I would prefer to stick to
science
and tend my orchard. Unfortunately, the situation is different than it
was
in the 1600s, when religion pressured science. The urgency of now
steals
the luxury of silence. Galileo knew that the truth would come out
eventually and no one would be harmed. So he could just mutter under
his
breath 'and yet it moves!' That, I cannot do." - James Hansen (2014, p.
15)



REFERENCES [URL shortened by <http://bit.ly/ and accessed on 02 March
2014.]

Caldicott, H. 2006. "Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer." New Press,
publisher's information at <http://bit.ly/1jVKGgB>. Author's
information
at <http://bit.ly/1mA1tuO>. Amazon.com information at <
http://amzn.to/1nWvobG>, note the searchable "Look Inside" feature.
For
adverse criticism see "Evidence Meltdown" [Monbiot (2011)]. See also
Caldicott (2009).

Caldicott, H. 2009. " If You Love This Planet: A Plan to Save the
Earth
(Revised and updated)." W.W. Norton, publisher's information at <
http://bit.ly/1hCq4tn>. Amazon.com information at <
http://amzn.to/1bY0G24>,
note the searchable "Look Inside" feature. First published in 1992.

Hake, R.R. 2014. "Reich, McKibbon, & Hansen: Three Academicians Who
Have
Spoken Out on Social Issues," online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at <
http://bit.ly/1k9QuX5>.The abstract and link to the complete post are
being transmitted to several discussion lists and are on my blog at <
http://bit.ly/1cR8cdj> with a provision for comments.

Hansen, J.E. 2014. "Renewable Energy, Nuclear Power, and Galileo: Do
Scientists Have a Duty to Expose Popular Misconceptions?" online as a
541
kB pdf at <http://bit.ly/1goL <http://bit.ly/1goLfgs>



--
Todd K. Pedlar
Associate Professor of Physics
Luther College, Decorah, IA
todd.pedlar@luther.edu
or pedlto01@luther.edu
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