More idiocy
The fine folks over at EU Referendum have posted a story about the advanced pebble bed nuclear reactor being developed by the Chinese. This reactor, in short, is the cleanest, safest, and most independent power source ever invented. It is impossible for it to melt down. A loss of coolant casues the reactor to scram itself automatically. There is no radioactive waste because the radioactive elements are sealed in "pebbles" which are made of graphite and contain all the radiation except for heat, which is used to power the reactor.
Even though this reactor was largely developed in Germany and the US, none have been constructed here. The only working reactor is in China. This is a test bed: a second reactor that will provide civilian power is planned. Because of this, China can reach energy independence before the US, and will be in a better strategic position than any of the major democracies, who depend mostly on non-democracies like middle eastern states or Chavez' Venezuela for fuel. The result of this is that China will have a span of greater freedom of action than any of the western democracies that might oppose it.
Of course, one might ask why a system like the pebble bed reactor is not being developed in the US. The answer, of course, is environmentalism. At first, this seems counter-intuitive, as this new power system is the most environmentally friendly power source of any yet developed. However, environmentalists have demonstrated a dogmatic hatred of all forms of nuclear power, and have vowed to block any attempts to construct new nuclear power plants in the US and Europe. This means no pebble bed reactors for us due to political pressure.
Why does environmentalism hate all things nuclear, even nuclear powered space probes like Cassini? It's simple- environmentalism is a reactionary superstition that uses some scientific evidence to draw radical and sensational solutions. Perhaps it's descended from the idealistic Lockean idea of a state of nature, where man wandered about freely, with no cares or rules with which to constrain him. Environmentalists view industrial society as inherently evil, and view its destruction as a sort of return from Babylon to the Promised Land. They believe that this would be like putting the apple of industrialisation back on the tree and returning to the Garden. They also believe that industrial society and ecology are polar opposites, and that they cannot coexist successfully. In short, environmentalism is merely a superstitious cult which fudges its first principles and makes vastly incorrect computations regarding human nature (i.e. that people would be satisfied to live like any other animal) and ecology(a perfect and unchanging thing).
This superstition has already cost the EU dearly- many life-improving medicines, better crops, and other improvements have been banned because of uncertain "environmental effects". Other solutions, like burning rubbish for power, have also been rejected due to the dogmatic opposition of environmentalists towards any technology-based solution to problems.
Now their idiotic superstition is costing the US and other large democracies in the form of this nuclear reactor. While the Chinese will enjoy nearly unlimited power that is clean and safe, we'll still be stuck with oil and coal based power, both of which require strategic resources that exist in other countries. That means energy dependence, and great cost to us.
The next decade or so will determine the pecking order of the twentieth century. Already, we're seeing China rise at an unprecedented rate. Will the future be dominated by a league of democracies- the so-called "core" nations like the US, India, Australia, and Japan? Or will China be the uni-polar power of the new century? Though China is a totalitarian system, this affords them the good fortune of being able to ignore the ignorant and baseless protests of a few nut-jobs and progress towards the future, while the democracies must take account of this superstition and work around it. It will be interesting to see who wins out.
Even though this reactor was largely developed in Germany and the US, none have been constructed here. The only working reactor is in China. This is a test bed: a second reactor that will provide civilian power is planned. Because of this, China can reach energy independence before the US, and will be in a better strategic position than any of the major democracies, who depend mostly on non-democracies like middle eastern states or Chavez' Venezuela for fuel. The result of this is that China will have a span of greater freedom of action than any of the western democracies that might oppose it.
Of course, one might ask why a system like the pebble bed reactor is not being developed in the US. The answer, of course, is environmentalism. At first, this seems counter-intuitive, as this new power system is the most environmentally friendly power source of any yet developed. However, environmentalists have demonstrated a dogmatic hatred of all forms of nuclear power, and have vowed to block any attempts to construct new nuclear power plants in the US and Europe. This means no pebble bed reactors for us due to political pressure.
Why does environmentalism hate all things nuclear, even nuclear powered space probes like Cassini? It's simple- environmentalism is a reactionary superstition that uses some scientific evidence to draw radical and sensational solutions. Perhaps it's descended from the idealistic Lockean idea of a state of nature, where man wandered about freely, with no cares or rules with which to constrain him. Environmentalists view industrial society as inherently evil, and view its destruction as a sort of return from Babylon to the Promised Land. They believe that this would be like putting the apple of industrialisation back on the tree and returning to the Garden. They also believe that industrial society and ecology are polar opposites, and that they cannot coexist successfully. In short, environmentalism is merely a superstitious cult which fudges its first principles and makes vastly incorrect computations regarding human nature (i.e. that people would be satisfied to live like any other animal) and ecology(a perfect and unchanging thing).
This superstition has already cost the EU dearly- many life-improving medicines, better crops, and other improvements have been banned because of uncertain "environmental effects". Other solutions, like burning rubbish for power, have also been rejected due to the dogmatic opposition of environmentalists towards any technology-based solution to problems.
Now their idiotic superstition is costing the US and other large democracies in the form of this nuclear reactor. While the Chinese will enjoy nearly unlimited power that is clean and safe, we'll still be stuck with oil and coal based power, both of which require strategic resources that exist in other countries. That means energy dependence, and great cost to us.
The next decade or so will determine the pecking order of the twentieth century. Already, we're seeing China rise at an unprecedented rate. Will the future be dominated by a league of democracies- the so-called "core" nations like the US, India, Australia, and Japan? Or will China be the uni-polar power of the new century? Though China is a totalitarian system, this affords them the good fortune of being able to ignore the ignorant and baseless protests of a few nut-jobs and progress towards the future, while the democracies must take account of this superstition and work around it. It will be interesting to see who wins out.
posted by The Admiral at 1:09 PM
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