Re: warming, LNT, & uncertainty

[farbersa <farbersa@optonline.net>]

Hi Andy:

I certainly recognize the truth in your comments about uncertainties in  

both LNT and global warming/greenhouse effect issues.



However, as I wrote in an earlier post, if the uncertain and likely  

unknowable dose-response relationship for ionizing radiation at "low"  

doses is used to justify application of the LNT [often to the detriment of  

nuclear technologies] why should the popular acceptance of the greenhouse  

effect by the majority of the public, regulators, and legislators all over  

the world not be simply embraced by those involved with nuclear  

technologies? Sorry for the long sentence. Both LNT & global warming  

issues will someday be understood with better certainty. However, for now  

why should those involved with  nuclear technologies around the world  

[which help to displace huge quantities -- several billion tons per year  

at a minimum of carbon dioxide emissions in power generation] not just  

take some credit and garner some popular support for their achievement in  

helping to avoid a potentially long-term climatic impact? As in so many  

aspects of power generation, we're dealing with theoretically derived  

risk/benefit assessments.  Accept the benefits where you can --there are  

enough perceived and claimed risks for the nuclear option in the popular  

mind.



Stewart Farber

farbersa@optonline.net



==================

On Fri, 03 Dec 2004 13:32:12 -0500, A Karam <paksbi@rit.edu> wrote:



> Personally, I think this is the climatological equivalent of LNT.  The

> data are not definitive and the error bars are larger than the effects

> we're looking for.  This makes the question as much philosophical as

> scientific at this point.  So we make our best guess while working to

> refine our fundamental understanding of the problem.

> Andy





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