Re: Request for suggestion

[Mrtgoldman@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/14/2000 10:58:25 AM Eastern Standard Time, Mike Fuller 
<mikef@u1st.com writes:

<< 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.   >>

Unfortunately, the waste heat releases of nuclear (or fossil) plants are 
totally irrelevant to the global warming argument --  it is the release of 
greenhouse gases, predominantly CO2, from burning carbon in any fuel, fossil 
or organic in origin, which is generally agreed to result in the climate 
change.

If we are going to educate the public about nuclear power advantages, we need 
to get our facts straight first!

Mort Goldman
Retired curmudgeon
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