• AssortedBiscuits [they/them]@hexbear.net
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    6 months ago

    The recent war in Ukraine made me a lot more cautious of nuclear because if there’s a belligerent who’s willing to cross the Rubicon by bombing nuclear plants (ie the US), then all the statistics about nuclear plants being safe goes out the window. There’s also speculation that if Israel nukes Tehran, Iran will launch hypersonic cruise missiles targeting Israeli nuclear plants and Chernobyl Israel since their main nuclear plant is located at the very center of Israel on top of other nuclear plants that are located close to urban centers.

    Of course, it’s not like bombing coal plants will have zero environmental impact and I would imagine blowing up dams will overall do far more environmental damage and kill far more people.

    The relevant questions are:

    1. What are the environmental impacts and human costs of a nuclear plant being bombed and destroyed by a belligerent military?

    2. What safeguards can be placed to thwart or mitigate military attacks targeting nuclear plants?

    • TheBroodian [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      6 months ago

      Taking a look at Chernobyl today, the environmental impacts of a melted down or destroyed nuclear reactor are way less destructive (maybe not destructive at all, except to human life within close proximity of the reactor) than the costs of avoiding nuclear in fear of these hypothetical possibilities