>

Fun part: living within 50 miles of a coal fired plant gives you between 10-200x the radiation dose more than a nuclear reactor. Nuclear plants have safeguards around everything that is potentially radioactive, higher standards for disposal or tools used around anything radioactive. Coal ash hoppers just have a sticker that says it radioactive, with a chain about 10’ from the hoppers. 
sauce
I’ve worked in and around both types of generating stations, and I’ll take nuke work all day over coal.
This is the way.  Learn from past mistakes.  Improve.  Nuclear is our best stop gap, baseline power source for a low-carbon economy. >

If there's one thing humans are good at it's learning from past mistakes. Eventually. We predict >

we can be good at it, but we can also be very bad at it. Like giving up democracy for fascism. >

Good. It was a stupid, knee-jerk reaction. Even in it's current state Fukushima is probably going to kill fewer people via radiation than an average coal plant will via pollution, and that's not even touching on the fact that 99% of reactors never have a problem at all. >

Fun part: living within 50 miles of a coal fired plant gives you between 10-200x the radiation dose more than a nuclear reactor. Nuclear plants have safeguards around everything that is potentially radioactive, higher standards for disposal or tools used around anything radioactive. Coal ash hoppers just have a sticker that says it radioactive, with a chain about 10’ from the hoppers. 
sauce
I’ve worked in and around both types of generating stations, and I’ll take nuke work all day over coal. >

The Deepwater horizon oil rig explosion killed 16 workers. The oil spill still remains one of the world's deadliest man made environmental disasters. All of it caused by mistakes in the building and programming of the drill.    
The Fukushima Disaster had one confirmed death after a world shaking earthquake and tsunami and almost no environment consequences. I'm not trying to downplay the tragedy, but if we're looking to make policy changes we should be looking at what we can prevent. >

Also lack of testing by Haliburton and lack of safety by BP. >

“We’re sorry.” >

the worst of this disaster was mitigated by the containment system. part of the reason why Chernobyl was such a disaster to the environment was the lack of such a structure. 
nuclear is not without risk. it requires a fanatical dedication to safety and defense in depth. 
some of the problems with the sea wall not being high enough was previously known but not taken as seriously. 
in the US most nuclear plants have two back up generators. and all the plants in the country had to develop back up plans and strategy to operate without electrical power for 72 hours. >

I'm for nuclear power but Japan is in a uniquely dangerous position with massive earthquakes.  It's not crazy to think they may not be best suited for it.  Are there new designs to withstand them? >

I'll upvote, but yes, they are - and existing designs too.  The cause of Fukushima was a fairly straightforward bad design decision that isn't universal.   The reactor withstood the earthquake fine and would have withstood the tsunami fine if they'd just have located the emergency generators on higher ground.  It's pretty incredible how robust they are. >

Most of Asia has insufficient or no resources in gas or oil. Japan especially since they're volcanic islands. China has some oil and a lot of coal, but not enough.
Relying on importing fuel is risky for geopolitics when you can be strangled by chokepoints like the red sea and the straits around Indonesia. >

Best News ever!!! Let's hope the rest of the world joins this movement. >

Glad they've woken up.  Germany next? >

Good decision by Japan to support clean nuclear energy 👍 >

So this is why all the nuclear cno’s wasted money to fly out there and have a recent photo shoot.  All while peddling “we dont have money to send employees to conferences” >

Fuck yeah! Godzilla is back on! >

I’m craving sushi now. >

This is the way.  Learn from past mistakes.  Improve.  Nuclear is our best stop gap, baseline power source for a low-carbon economy. >

If there's one thing humans are good at it's learning from past mistakes. Eventually. We predict >

we can be good at it, but we can also be very bad at it. Like giving up democracy for fascism. >

Good. It was a stupid, knee-jerk reaction. Even in it's current state Fukushima is probably going to kill fewer people via radiation than an average coal plant will via pollution, and that's not even touching on the fact that 99% of reactors never have a problem at all.