An Inconvenient Truth

[Vanilla Ice]

so based on that stand point .. do you think we should do absolutely nothing ?

Enlighten me on what we are doing to address potential cataclysmic killers like a supervolcano eruption or massive asteroids colliding with earth.

[frontrow]

VI, if these events occur we are pretty well Stuffed, no matter how enviromentally friendly we are...Sure, some people think we can plan some sort of miracle to divert an asteroid, or predict a volcano, but in the end these events are usually upon us before we know it (if history is anything to go on)...
Basically though, we are all living in our own little worlds were catastrophe is a dirty word and one which isn't really broached until too late...But in these worlds, why not live it clean and green in the notion that what we are doing may in fact help the world...
Let us see what happens in the future, but let us also make that future as envioromentally friendly as we can...

To be honest, if every one went around thinking that we are all gonna die anyway so why bother doing anything about global warming, or envioromental issues, then i reckon it would be a pretty grungy dirty existence...

[shasta]

Enlighten me on what we are doing to address potential cataclysmic killers like a supervolcano eruption or massive asteroids colliding with earth.

Don't take this as trying to be a smartarse. Not meant that way. But science is working on those too. Trying to predict eruptions and asteroid impacts. But as to unpredictable events of either, well there's no point stressing over things we can't contrlol and I can't see anyone here suggesting that.

But in a debate it's not good form to answer a question with a question. So answer the question. "Should we do nothing?"

[The EnForcer]

maybe I am selfish but I dont care! okay no I do care, I dont want to be seen as selfish but WHAT CAN I DO!!!???!!! seriously if I could do something I would!!! whats with the whole neclear thing anyways, can someone elaborate for me cos i think i missed something!

Just google something like "Global Warming" and you will find heaps of sites with advice on what to do. Don't expect somebody to take your hand and show you what to do as it is not like that yet. If you want to do something then a little effort is required.

Nuclear power is a very contentious issue. The fors, which I am one, believe that it is safe enough to be a "sustainable" energy source thus reducing the need for carbon based fuels and the associated environmental issues. The naes (????? you know what I mean) are against it because of the risks associated with storage of the waste produced, i.e. what frontow said earlier.

I believe the risks do not out way the benefits and so Australia should embrace nuclear power and the storage of the waste. It's pretty hypocritical to mine uranium to sell to countries like France, who have a network of nuclear power stations, and have a anti nuclear power policy. We have the ideal geographicaly stable areas to store waste, so does Scotland by the way.

[frontrow]

Neigh,neigh, nay... i believe that if we weren't selling uranium then somebody else would...Why should we store the spent uranium, it is no good to us after it is used and we didn't get the energy benefit, only the initial sale of the raw ore... I guess i am of the opinion if we dont have a reactor in our back yard, why should we store the waste in our backyard???
Having said that, the financial reward for storing waste securely in proper facilities would be astronomical...And like TEF says, we are geographically suitable...
I am still on the side of the nay sayers, with improvements in technology we can reduce the harmful effects of burning coal, and fossil fuels in general...Steam power, solar power, wind power, methane power, etc...Look at the options other than Nuclear...

[The EnForcer]

frontrow......The problem we face at present is that we are probably about 20years away from having usable technology that would make coal burning acceptable.

Nuclear power is the fastest way to put us on the road to resolving one of the major issues. In my opinion t comes down to which is the best of the two evils I'm afraid.

[Happy]

Enlighten me on what we are doing to address potential cataclysmic killers like a supervolcano eruption or massive asteroids colliding with earth.

Trying to have a decent discussion with you VI is almost impossible when you deal with absolutes.

We are doing lots of things to address those and if you are serious in asking the above question then I think it makes you look really sad!

Converse yourself and you'll find we have thousands of people around the world and spend millions of dollars a year tracking and trying to predict threats. Whether they be from outerspace or underground there is active projects providing invaluable information to many people.

Early warning systems for earthquakes etc can evacuate people to safer locations and save lives.

Don't try the arguement about stopping a supervolcano or asteroid because no with current technology we can't stop it! But does that limit your view that well we may as not do anything at all?? Of course it shouldn't, you have to accept there are some things within your control and there will always be things outside of it.

This is something you deal with every hour of your every day life. Your drive down the roads - can you stop the person in the car next to you from running you off the road or off the bridge?? No of course you can't, yet you continue to put your life at risk. The difference being the risk is minimal because we have taken steps to reduce it. You have to obey the road rules, you have the be qualified to drive a car and we have police to enfore those because they are the things within our control.

Back back to the question at hand .. Do you or any of your family have a recycle bin at home? It's the easiest way anyone can do their bit - all the work is done for you, you are given a recycle bin, it is emptied for you every fortnight. Recycling is saving landfill, resources, energy and pollution. But if nothing we do is having an effect on the planet why does any body recycle?? We've already established that it is in human nature to be selfish, yet here is a clear example of a mass movement all over the world of pople who agree that recycling is critical to sustainability - do you disagree with this?? If you don't then your are contradicting yourself!

If you want to disagree with me here VI then I have no problem and encourage it, but reply with a well thought out one!

[JediKnight]

More verbose than your usual succinct-self Happy but quality words & I'm right with you there!

[Goldmember]

I believe the risks do not out way the benefits and so Australia should embrace nuclear power and the storage of the waste.

But what waste are we talking about here? I believe the government (Liberal or Labor) will use our power stations as an excuse to dump the whole world's nuclear waste in Australia's outback. The sheer volume of nuclear waste we will be storing will significantly increase the risks you have spoken of. I would rather learn to conserve electricity (energy saving appliances etc) and pay twice as much for sustainable power, then risk turning Australia into a nuclear-friendly dumping ground.

Australia has some of the windiest and sunniest cities in the world, and these resources will never run out.

Enlighten me on what we are doing to address potential cataclysmic killers like a supervolcano eruption or massive asteroids colliding with earth.

Don't you worry yourself about that.

[Vanilla Ice]

Trying to have a decent discussion with you VI is almost impossible when you deal with absolutes.

If you want to disagree with me here VI then I have no problem and encourage it, but reply with a well thought out one!

I just don't see why all of a sudden this one particular cause has everyone falling all over themselves to proclaim the end of the world as we know it. There's plenty of threats to this planet, why are so many people just in a panic with this exaggerated threat ?

[The EnForcer]

Australia has some of the windiest and sunniest cities in the world, and these resources will never run out.

Very true and if we went down that route I would be very happy with that but what about the countries that do not have that option? In addition, a lot of these countries are not suitable for waste storage either so it has to go somewhere. It's a global issue and if everybody says "not in my back yard you'er not" then that is not going to get us very far. The only way to start to resolve the issues is through compromise and by that I mean at all levels, governments down to the man on the street. I believe if we produce uranium we should at least store the equivalent amount of associated waste.

I just don't see why all of a sudden this one particular cause has everyone falling all over themselves to proclaim the end of the world as we know it. There's plenty of threats to this planet, why are so many people just in a panic with this exaggerated threat ?

I wish you were right but I don't believe you are and more and more people are being convinced that it's a threat that maybe we can avert. It's not something that has just suddenly materialised but it is something that has finally caught public interest after years of effort by a very large number of people. I had the same opinion as you a few years back until I started looking into the subject.

[Goldmember]

nuclear/coal power = short term thinking
solar/wind power = long term thinking

I don't want my children to have to live in a country that is the worlds nuclear waste dump.

more people are being convinced that it's a threat that maybe we can avert.

So lets quickly build a whole lot of nuclear power stations and start storing the worlds nuclear waste.

[frontrow]

Sorry TEF, but "not in my backyard" is definately how i feel regarding Nuclear waste, There isn't a hole deep enough or secure enough to store it in my opinion, and just because we mine the raw ore doesn't automatically make us responsible for its by-products...You use it, you store it...

[The EnForcer]

nuclear/coal power = short term thinking
solar/wind power = long term thinking

I don't want my children to have to live in a country that is the worlds nuclear waste dump.



So lets quickly build a whole lot of nuclear power stations and start storing the worlds nuclear waste.

You sound more and more like a greeny every day

I'm an engineer and think like one, so it's the practical solution I tend to go for. There is nothing I would like better than to see a world that uses nothing but genuinely sustainable and renewable energy sources but that world is a long way off. Compromise is something I had to learn early on in my career to be able to get things done and I believe that compromise is the only way we will be able to move forward.

[Happy]

Sorry TEF, but "not in my backyard" is definately how i feel regarding Nuclear waste, There isn't a hole deep enough or secure enough to store it in my opinion, and just because we mine the raw ore doesn't automatically make us responsible for its by-products...You use it, you store it...

put it this way FR and others

Why is it that a drum full of nuclear waste buried in a storage facility is so scary to people, yet the same people will quite happily live in a city surrounded by poisonous exhausts from vehicles and factories?

You're not qualified (and neither am I) to make a statement on the potential risks of the storage of nuclear waste and you need to trust the information given by others as do I and everyone else. But I still find it interesting when people say it (nuclear energy) isn't and should not be a solution. It is cleaner than using other dirty fossil fuels in that all its waste can be contained, unlike coal/gas or oil where the waste products are discarded into the air we breathe!

If there was to be a waste facility for Australian nuclear waste, it should be in the center of Australia where geographically it is the most stable and secure. It should be government run and it should accept all Australian and only Australian nuclear waste.

I just don't see why all of a sudden this one particular cause has everyone falling all over themselves to proclaim the end of the world as we know it. There's plenty of threats to this planet, why are so many people just in a panic with this exaggerated threat ?

I don't know how old you are so I'll tell you now - this issue has been on the table for over 30 years! It is not new!!!!