A subculture on the internet is emerging to make the case for nuclear energy, often referred to as the “nuclear bros”. “Nuclear bros” are people who believe that much of the world’s electricity should come from nuclear power plants and believes it could be the answer to our energy crisis.
Source: Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell/YouTube
Many people, including organizations and big names like Bill Gates and Elon Musk, believe that the world needs to concentrate more on nuclear energy. Nuclear advocates often meet on the internet, according to the Washington Post. They can meet in large WhatsApp groups, the subreddit r/nuclear, or on Twitter. They have earned the name “nuclear bros,” which goes right along with “renewabros”, “Crypto bros”, and more. Essentially, the Washington Post describes them as “white, millennial men with a singular focus on splitting atoms.”
“It alludes to a few factors of “bro culture” that can make interacting with some nuclear bros frustrating and bizarre. The criticism is that these types of bros mansplain, refuse to accept other arguments, or otherwise harass their interlocutors.”
However, many people that are pro-nuclear energy do not agree or think that they fit in with this label. There has been a huge surge in people that support and think nuclear energy could be our answer. After the devastating Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant event in 2011, many countries took a step back from nuclear and looked at other options. Those in opposition say that the technology is too dangerous and not cost-effective. Now, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many countries need to reconsider where they will get their energy.
In its most basic definition, a nuclear power plant is an extremely sophisticated kettle used to boil water. The boiling water produces steam that drives a turbine that runs a generator, producing electricity.
“Proponents of nuclear energy who claim that running a nuclear power plant produces no greenhouse gases neglect to acknowledge the most fundamental part of running an atomic plant: its fuel. And the entire process of acquiring, milling, enriching, and utilizing that fuel, and then managing, reprocessing, storing, or disposing of that fuel — called the nuclear fuel cycle — requires substantial fossil fuel and produces tons of deadly radioactive waste. The nuclear fuel cycle poses a risk to those who work in it at every step of the cycle,” Joseph Keon, author of Whitewash, wrote for One Green Planet.
The fuel, uranium, is toxic and not renewable. This means a large expenditure on fossil fuels to mine, mill, and enrich. Mining uranium is not only dangerous for the workers but is horrible for the environment.
Recently, Japan has received major pushback as nuclear regulations approved a plan to release water from nuclear power plants into the waterways. This decision will affect the marine environment and the public health of the entire world. Nuclear energy is not the way to go!
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Sign this petition to stop the Japanese government from dumping radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean!
Related Content:
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- Japan Nuclear Regulators Approve Plan to Release Water From Fukushima into the Ocean Despite Pushback
- For the First Time Ever, the United States Produced More Power from Wind and Solar Than Nuclear
- Japan Nuclear Power Plant Still Plans to Dump Radioactive Waste Water into Sea Despite Major Pushback
- Where Will the Toxic Waste from UK’s New Nuclear Power Push Go?
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