Pro-nuclear flag designed by Robert Hargraves
UN colors, world grid
Once again, we are proud to host the Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers, right here at Yes Vermont Yankee. The Carnival is a compendium of nuclear blogs that rotates from blog site to blog site, and it is always a pleasure and an honor to host it.
This week, the majority of the posts are about nuclear and Paris (COP 21), nuclear and carbon, and nuclear and climate change.
-----
From Atomic Insights: Rod Adams
James Hansen and the Citizen's Climate Lobby have a plan to gradually add a waste disposal fee to fuels that produce CO2 when burned to produce energy. The plan uses market forces to help properly price energy alternatives so that the full cost is visible. Instead of giving the money to appointed bureaucrats to select recipients, the plan returns all collected money back to citizens in an equal amount per person.
Read the post, but pay close attention to the much better than average discussion.
----
Northwest Clean Energy: John Dobken
 |
| Ramp-up, from Breakthrough Institute |
John Dobken takes on the reasons why opponents claim that nuclear can't help with climate change. There's "can't build them fast enough." Wrong. Nuclear has ramped up faster than any other low-carbon source of electricity. There's the "free-market" argument. This argument seems to be suspended when people discuss a wind ramp-up. Dobken's well-illustrated post should be on everyone's quick-reference list for climate change issues.
Neutron Bytes: Dan Yurman
Two significant US vendors, Westinghouse and NuScale, are making serious efforts to develop the market for SMRs in the UK.
--------
How Would Advanced Aliens Size Up Our Reluctance to Use Nuclear Energy
The title suggests that they would see our choices as foolish. Making poor choices instead of sensible choices makes us seem less advanced than we think.
--------
Energy Reality Project:
Post by Rick Maltese
COP 21 and What is Missing From the Table
Solutions are missing. I make a case in a shorter than usual post about doing more than reductions. I suggest reversing CO2. After hearing James Hansen's interview by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now this is very relevant. He talks about "honest" accounting. The idea that fossil fuel companies be held accountable for the costs to environment and society by charging them or fining them for the damages created by their carbon emissions. That is a solution that gets closer to the real problem. Using words like "penalty" and "reward" are more needed. Nuclear needs to be rewarded for clean non-emitting reliable energy. Dirty fossil fuels need to be punished.
Guest post by Robert Rudolph HasspacherPost by Rick Maltese
 |
| Letter box in Paris |
Solutions are missing. I make a case in a shorter than usual post about doing more than reductions. I suggest reversing CO2. After hearing James Hansen's interview by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now this is very relevant. He talks about "honest" accounting. The idea that fossil fuel companies be held accountable for the costs to environment and society by charging them or fining them for the damages created by their carbon emissions. That is a solution that gets closer to the real problem. Using words like "penalty" and "reward" are more needed. Nuclear needs to be rewarded for clean non-emitting reliable energy. Dirty fossil fuels need to be punished.
How Would Advanced Aliens Size Up Our Reluctance to Use Nuclear Energy
The title suggests that they would see our choices as foolish. Making poor choices instead of sensible choices makes us seem less advanced than we think.
-----
Yes Vermont Yankee: Meredith Angwin
Books for Climate, Books for Your Nuclear Family
In honor of the Paris conference, Angwin features two books about nuclear energy and climate change:
Books for Climate, Books for Your Nuclear Family
In honor of the Paris conference, Angwin features two books about nuclear energy and climate change:
It's back! Fossil fuel burning is on the rise again in New England during the winter. Nitrogen oxide pollution, sulfur dioxide pollution, and carbon emissions are rising right along with it. Graphs from a NESCOE presentation.
-------
 |
| Scotch Whiskeys |
Another Link Between Alcohol and the Atom: Whiskey and Radioactivity
In a lighter mode. Over the last several years, Gail Marcus has reported several times at Nuke Power
Talk on interesting “connections" between alcohol or food and radioactivity—particularly, ways in which one can benefit the other. This week, she reports on a new one: a finding that the grains left over from whiskey making may be useful for biosorption of radioactive environmental contaminants.
