Why are we using an energy source that we can't control?

[Raven]

I am really dumb on this subject but it seems that these fuel rods take on a life of their own, and at a point everyone has to walk away and let them take over. How do we get to the point that we let Pandora out of the box? I know, somebody is going to say "greed". But how does this happen, how do we allow this to happen? And, please don't put a fine point on this. I know that there are mine collapses and gas line explosions and major oil leaks but with this stuff, it is almost as if we have created a living thing that we don't understand and where the consequences are unimaginable.

[jpak]

1. $$$$$$$$$$$$$

yup

[deutsey]

3. that and hubris, imo

[Cleita]

2. Because the industries involved convinced our

governments that they were safe and pollution free. They also made sure alternative sources of energy would be stifled in development and kept small.

[yurbud]

15. and by convinced, you mean bought.

[Teaser]

4. I've been asking that about oil, gas and coal for years

even the microscopic odds of a runaway greenhouse effect scares me a lot more than the current situation, which scares me quite a bit.

[pampango]

19. Exactly. We can't "control" any of them. Which is more dangerous? Depends on how

you measure "danger".

Coal is the most dangerous in terms of lives lost producing it. Plus it has a great environmental impact.

OIl is dangerous in terms of political risks and environmental damage.

Nuclear has obvious risks - tremendous long-term risks and, as we see, significant short term risks too.

The obvious problem is that all these energy sources have entrenched powers that promote their continued usage, while the renewable and green sources of energy have little financial or political support.

[tekisui]

5. Really. That is a basic and direct question.

I echo it with you. If we cant control it, in ALL situations, we shouldn't play with it. Did we learn in the Gulf? Did we learn in Fukushima?

[hlthe2b]

6. Gee, now, there's a question.....

Because the $$ grubbers have their hand in every damned politico's pocket and have had for decades? Because they have paid lobbyists, including those who would shove their "Nuclear Power is the safest energy source in the world" propaganda down our throat at every turn, on every tv news and internet message site...

But, what a very GOOD question....:sigh:

[ChicagoRonin]

7. Tower of Babel, Icarus . . .

For the same reason built a boat they thought was unsinkable.

Fought a war they would "end all wars."

On the other hand, keep in mind it's probably basic human stubbornness (plus a little ingenuity) that led to things like Democratic Underground.
Nothing gets people going like a challenge. Unfortunately, sometimes we don't know our own limitations.

[KittyWampus]

8. Because bureaucrats are still stuck in the past regarding energy policy. Extracting resources from

the ground to process and then burn. All activities relying on a centralized business model.

Bureaucrats need to be forced to understand that humanity MUST MAKE ITS ENERGY ON LOCAL LEVELS.

Waste, solar, wind, geothermal, waves.

We have to rely on what's immediately in front of us rather than shipping crap around the world.

[Zoeisright]

9. Exactly.

We have gone down the wrong path and we're paying the price. And it's the money. Follow the money.

[Zorra]

10. Those are great questions.

Here is my answer:

Many of us never wanted it to happen, but a significant portion of the population had been convinced by corporate "experts" and media that nuclear reactors were completely safe, and they prevented the rest of us from stopping it.

This pro-nuclear segment of the population is still significant today, for the same reason stated above, and will continue to prevent us from stopping nuclear energy production, possibly right up until the time that they are killed, directly or indirectly, by a radiation related catastrophe.

[slackmaster]

11. We just haven't figured out how to control it yet

The OP is meh.

[RegieRocker]

12. Because it's like riding a bull, going around a track with others

at 200 mph or rush hour traffic. You could make money or save it and lose your life trying, that it's the fun of it.
:sarcasm:

[ladjf]

13. Greed. The blind quest for profit. nt

[Rex]

14. Because we can control it, until something breaks the system.

And for humans, 'kinda sorta can' is good 'nuff.

[moondust]

16. Robert Reich: Safety on the Cheap

http://robertreich.org/

[old mark]

17. Back in the late 1950's the electricity providers ran ads in all the media promoting

"safe, clean and cheap" nuclear energy...using cartoons and pimplying that everyone's electric bill would be $10 per month if only we could get enough nuclear reactors generating power...tell your congressman to support it!
People bought it all and we had a lot of campaign money change hands and we got approval for a lot of nuclear plants here in the US with little concern for potential problems.

At the time, it was all science and science was the thing that was going to make America the leader of the world.

It was sold to us with lies and lots of cash, the same reason we don't have public healthcare or good trains and public transportation.

mark

[SoCalDem]

18. Because people with lots of money prefer to use up every last drop of oil, every last crumb

of uranium, every last lump of coal, before they proceed to "Plan B"..solar & wind..

why?

because they make a LOT of money procuring national resources and other people's natural resources, and then selling it to us, while evading their taxes.

[Warren Stupidity]

20. because we keep generating more people and they all want to

consume energy at the same rates you do and the options for supply the energy needs of an expanding high energy consumption global civilization are rather limited. We are going to need an ADDITIONAL 200-300 Quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) Btus/year of energy production by 2030. Where is that going to come from?

As I have asked elsewhere, WHERE IS THE MANHATTAN PROGRAM FOR SOLAR? How freaking dysfunctional are our rulers, that they cannot do FUCK ALL to avoid a really unpleasant future?

[jeff47]

21. What energy source can we control?

It's not like fire is inherently safe. Yet burning stuff is the energy source we use to generate most electricity in this country. Heck, your car is propelled by thousands of explosions every minute.

And if you wish to claim we can control the sun, wind, or hydro, I'll be very interested in your weather dominator.

[Obamanaut]

22. Some folks solar cells are the answer, but we have little to no control over Sol. nt

[CraftyGal]

23. Who says we have control over anything?