Re: Request for suggestion

[Mike Fuller <mikef@u1st.com>]

Bernie,

One of the environmentalists' hot buttons is the greenhouse effect.
Whether there actually is a greenhouse effect is immaterial.  Because it
effects the whole planet, the greenhouse effect is a bigger problem than
nuclear power.  Your argument could look like this:

Anything that reduces the greenhouse effect is good for the environment.

Nuclear power reduces the greenhouse effect.
Therefore Nuclear power is good for the environment.

It's a shame that the laws of physics require today's nuclear plants to
release more than half of the energy of fission to the environment via
the cooling towers or some other heat sink.  We would have a stronger
argument if we could say nuclear power plants don't contribute to
warming the planet.  The best we can do for now is say nuclear power
plants don't contribute any more to warming the planet than do other
major energy sources.

For a good primer on construcing arguments in general see

Gardner, Legal Argument, 1993, Matthew Bender

- Mike


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