> the waste problem is easy enough to solve, just bury it in deep 
> mines
> diluted so that after the first half centurary of storage it will be 
> no more
> radioactive than nautral uranium. Yes it might hurt some future 
> miners after
> a collapse of civilisation but so might the natural uranium ore we 
> dig out
> to feed our plants.

> If we had a similarlly paranoic approach to the huge ammounts of CO2
> conventional power produces, we'd never get anything done at all. 
> I'm not
> sure how well the chemical waste from solar cell production is 
> handled but i

Our ancestors may yet curse us all chapter and verse for our lack of 
"paranoia" over CO2 emissions.

Current global warming hype is largely hype, boondoggles and pc and 
politically driven, and fails to note the overwhelming part that 
natural solar cycles play in what we are presently seeing. But 
notwithstanding this, it doesn't mean they aren't right :-). Too many 
opponents of the current GW bandwagon deride the hoopla while failing 
to note that there are/may be real risks. *IF* eg the Atlantic 
Conveyor is as sensitive to atmospheric CO2 concentrations as some 
suggest it is, and it's looking increasingly likely that they are 
wrong, then within a century there may be records set for fastest time 
ice skating from England to France.

But, re nuclear:

I suggest that you read through some of my recent posts re long lived 
nucleotides with special affinities for biological attack, comments on 
bacteria living IN vitrified nuclear waste barrels and mining selected 
components and bringing them out, the fact that the "solid" rock is 
teeming with life and the longevity of the longest known man made 
devices ever made (and the expected lifetime of current ones). Or 
gargoyle(tm) on the subject and be disturbed.

All up there is an extremely strong case to be made for the 
perspective that the nuclear waste problem is not only far from solved 
but that there is not presently any reliable indication that we have 
the capability to solve it in the foreseeable future with the 
requisite level of certainty.

As I've already said, IF the nuclear waste problem can be shown to be 
solved in a manner that leaves the greatest reasonable doubter certain 
that matters are under control and that the all up costs of power 
generation including dealing with waste results in a net benefit then 
I'm very happy to join the cheering line. Safe and cheap energy 
conversion is something I would applaud. But, until that happens I'll 
continue to plan to save the world using other energy conversion 
techniques :-).*


        Russell

* One target is to revolutionise the NZ solar thermal heating scene. 
But I may have to settle for lesser achievements, or none :-).



. 

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