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Environmentalism - Blog Posts
I've recently been seeing this article making rounds around this website and particularly people misusing this very cool advancement to imply that modern nuclear reactors are "unsafe" or "dangerous", which is partially due to the just blatantly bad journalism on display here.
The accomplishment of this new reactor is definitely exceptionally impressive but I think that news websites (Even ones specializing in science) have been mischaracterizing the reactor as "meltdown-proof" which is just - wrong? and implies that current reactors are just begging to meltdown.
The cool thing about this new reactor is that its passively cooled, but that doesn't mean its INVULNERABLE to nuclear meltdowns, for example the Chernobyl meltdown happened completely independently of whether it was cooled passively or not.
In fact, passive cooling would only pose an advantage in situations where ALL pumps and backup pumps break and the core doesn't get coolant pumped to it. That's happened exactly once: in Fukushima and only after a literal tsunami hit it, and there's no reason to think that the passive Helium coolant in this new reactor wouldn't also just break. Fukushima happened because of corruption in regulation, preventing suitable defenses against this exact thing from getting built, not because of unsafe reactor design.
There's also some articles like this one which talk about the new reactor being "self-regulating" which is true, but misses the point that the vast majority of nuclear reactors in service today are also stable in the exact same way. Negative feedback loops are a HUGE part of reactor design, the most popular reactor design today is the Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) which is incredibly stable - PWRs just truly hate increasing (or decreasing) energy output.
Most nuclear reactors today are already incredibly safe, even if you had complete control over a nuclear reactor it would be effectively impossible to cause a meltdown on purpose - both the physics of the system and the thousands of automated components would beat the ever loving shit out of any hope of trying to do so.
Articles like these just turn this impressive achievements into a kind of fearmongering over the "dangerous" nuclear reactors currently being used. The fact is that nuclear reactors are incredibly safe, PWRs are an incredible feat of engineering genius and its a genuine shame that the general public isn't aware of how much care goes into their design and safety, let alone how useful and essential they are in our electrical systems.
Modern nuclear reactors are clean, they are safe, and they are vital to a healthy energy grid in the post-fossil-fuel future.
A really good read I highly recommend is Colin Tucker's How To Drive A Nuclear Reactor. He's very clear and very frank with the workings and reality of nuclear power today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_vgTDmPDwS/?igsh=MXg5eml2cWNma3VoNg==
Via @/j.anthony.depice on Instagram
Belkis, the mother of Tortuguita, is honoring her child that was murdered by police last year by building a mental health sanctuary. She needs funds for construction and land.
You can donate here
Source
Waking up everyday to learn that, yes, things did get worse
You must believe that the world is going to change. You must believe that you can change it. Not alone, like some ruggedly individualist caped superhero, but as part of a mass movement, a superorganism, a shared heart, a moment of unity. You must trust that your actions matter, even when they don’t. You must remember that even if going to a protest or opening your doors to the desperate or giving up hyperpconsumption cannot alter the wider societal patterns if only you undertake to do so, that you are just one drop of water in an ocean. And it will change you. That is often the first step. You must believe that one day all the fossils will stay in the ground. You must believe that one day war will be a distant memory. You must believe that one day women will dance in the streets at night unafraid. You must believe that one day land will belong to everyone and queer liberation will be achieved. You must believe it. Even if your great-grandchildren do not live to see it done. Prefiguration is praxis. It’s therapy. It’s all we have.
Tons more at the source!
i get people telling me im a nihilist sometimes but im really not. i just dont shy away from talking about the “negative” parts of life because i think its an important step towards change.
i dont think we are doomed, nor do i think nothing matters. im angry. im upset. and i want change. theres a difference.
i think its dangerous to loop all angry people into nihilism.
i have such beef with ethical and eco-friendly companies. WHERE IS THE COLOUR 😭😭 why does being eco mean it all has to be beige???? make it fun please i beg i dont want to be beige.
im seeing sooo much misdirected anger and blame in all kinds of communities and im just rahhh its so sad and frustrating because i just want to scream that theyre angry at the wrong people
being a disabled environmentalist is hard.
i care so much and i wish i could aim for things like zero waste. but i just cant, doing something like that would be ignoring my health needs.
its quite isolating, because i try to find tips and environmental swaps but often they just arent possible for me to use/do and then i feel guilty for that.
even though i know its not my fault and i cant help it, it just triggers my inner ableism and i blame myself for being this way.
i hate greenwashing fucking hellll
Here's some good news for Christmas ❤️
Tons more at the source!