Chernobyl is still incredibly threatening, actually. The concrete coffin that was built to cover it is nearing collapse from time and disrepair. So until they finish that steel dome that they should have started building 10 years ago, it's still a real threat. A collapse would send an absurd amount of radioactive dust into the air and reunite the still highly radioactive core with the air. Also, even if we were legitimately trying to ruin the Earth with radioactivity it would be damn near impossible. 71% of the Earth is covered by oceans. I'm sure if you did the math to find out how much radioactive drainage would be needed to hit the water to be a meaningful, harming percentage, it would be decades worth.
All of these incidents and spills have long term consequences. This is a bit off topic, but if anyone thinks the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico isn't still affecting ecosystems in the gulf and Atlantic Oceans, they are kidding themselves or are ignorant to the science involved. The same goes for nuclear waste, although a different animal entirely. I don't know about Tainted's math on the Hiroshima bombs thing, but he is right when he argues the long term effects.
And those are only the ones we know about. I can't imagine the ones we don't. No, I do agree that water ecosystems and the like are just incredibly ****ed these days. Rivers and ocean near big cities are just so completely ****ed. And then the lakes everywhere are affected by invasive species, hell zebra mussels are in practically every lake in the US. Chemical dumping. All of it is a reality, and most of it has happened in the last few hundred years as population and industrial growth happened. But, I don't also want to see people protesting things like nuclear power. "432 operable civil nuclear power nuclear reactors around the world" compared to the ones that have failed. http://world-nuclear.org/Nuclear-Basics/Global-number-of-nuclear-reactors/ While I do agree it'd take a hell of a lot to **** the planet up and that probably something more space related would be the only thing to make our planet a dead planet, I'd also say we do have the ability to make the world a place pretty ****ty to live on in our lifetimes.
Aging nukes; What replaces them?...Not sure if this fits here...But...>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...ath-knoll-for-aging-nukes-what-replaces-them/ I live next to >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Plant I have a lot of buddy's that make good money there!...But plant vogtle is also adding on 2 new reactors...$$$....economy looks good around the site... "In 2009, the NRC renewed the licenses for both units for an additional 20 years, to the 2040s.[5] Groundwork for two additional AP1000 reactors is underway"
Well, in the video it said scientists say one rod, if exploded, would be release 14,000 times more radioactivity then the Hiroshima bomb. Maybe my math is wrong, but wouldnt that also be equal to 14,000 bombs dropped.. Ofcourse that many bombs exploding in one place would have less of an effect as to 14,000 bombs exploding all over.. donno. Anyways there was a 6.5 eq near japan just yesterday 9-3.. Thats the thing that could **** everything up. If all those containers would rupture and all those rods start burning in the above storage pools....... well you get the picture. Of course thats worst case scenario. I guess i just always think of the worst thing that could happen.
Yes that it is!!! IT COULD AFFECT THE WHOLE WORLD!! (And there are still those who say NUCLEAR IS SAFE!!)
Nuclear *is* safe. A modern reactor, if someone would actually invest in and buy one, would never melt down under any circumstances. Even these old second generation reactors that seem to be so problem prone are incredibly safe when maintained correctly.