4 ms·

We have tons of oopsies that we haven't fixed, and there is no reasonable path towards resolution. It is all a matter of the size of the problem we've created.

by htag 3y ago

We have tons of oopsies that we haven't fixed, and there is no reasonable path towards resolution. It is all a matter of the size of the problem we've created. I agree that we should continue with technological progress, but it's naive to dismiss the risks. Here are some humanity scale problems we've created for ourselves. * Chernobyl is still unsafe to visit. The amount of radiation we've leaked into the atmosphere and oceans has a measurable negative impact on global health, and often a horrendous impact on local environments. * Air quality/light pollution/noise pollution is significantly worse than pre-industrial revolution levels. These have measurable negative health impacts. * We've directly and indirectly caused an uncountable number of extinctions. * Glaciers are melting at an incredible rate.

Vecr 3y ago
For Chernobyl, what do you mean by "unsafe to visit"? Because it's a war zone? I remember a lot of people went in 2019 after the show came out and it was fine. They had a guide or took a dosimeter and weren't crawling over the melted core or anything like that. I don't think the radiation from a nuclear reactor meltdown had global impacts, can you cite something? Even the fallout from a full nuclear exchange at the peak of warhead counts would stay in the northern hemisphere.
- htag 3y ago
  Chernobyl safety -> "During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces subsequently captured Chernobyl. While there is an increase in radiation in the area, this is due to Russian forces disturbing the soil in the Red Forest and releasing radioactive dust and not from the reactor 4 itself. The New Safe Confinement is reportedly unharmed." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_New_Safe_Confinement#Project_timeline_and_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_New_Safe_Confinement... Atmospheric fallout -> "Because all people in the United States who were alive since 1951 received some radiation exposure from fallout, some people may have an increased risk of cancer from this exposure, in particular, thyroid cancer. " https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout/RF-GWT_home.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout/RF-GWT_home.htm
- specialist 3y ago
  > They had a guide or took a dosimeter... A perfect vacation resort. Just don't touch anything or disturb the soil.
specialist 3y ago
We can't even mitigate relatively banal problems like wild boars and Himalayan black berries. My go to "oopsie" is the radioactive plume crawling towards the Columbia River. Once that breeches, all settlements downstream will be uninhabitable. Bye bye Portlandia.
guywithahat 3y ago
Right, there are problems, but we’ve survived the last 10,000 years of civilization I think it seems foolish to expect us to collapse in the next 50. I would also argue in the context of humanity, those problems have been solved enough to not be an issue to humanity as a whole (keeping in mind this doesn’t mean I personally love the outcome, just that society has been able to rebound and continue to grow)

by htag 3y ago

Vecr 3y ago

For Chernobyl, what do you mean by "unsafe to visit"? Because it's a war zone? I remember a lot of people went in 2019 after the show came out and it was fine. They had a guide or took a dosimeter and weren't crawling over the melted core or anything like that. I don't think the radiation from a nuclear reactor meltdown had global impacts, can you cite something? Even the fallout from a full nuclear exchange at the peak of warhead counts would stay in the northern hemisphere.

htag 3y ago
Chernobyl safety -> "During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces subsequently captured Chernobyl. While there is an increase in radiation in the area, this is due to Russian forces disturbing the soil in the Red Forest and releasing radioactive dust and not from the reactor 4 itself. The New Safe Confinement is reportedly unharmed." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_New_Safe_Confinement#Project_timeline_and_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_New_Safe_Confinement... Atmospheric fallout -> "Because all people in the United States who were alive since 1951 received some radiation exposure from fallout, some people may have an increased risk of cancer from this exposure, in particular, thyroid cancer. " https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout/RF-GWT_home.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout/RF-GWT_home.htm
specialist 3y ago
> They had a guide or took a dosimeter... A perfect vacation resort. Just don't touch anything or disturb the soil.

specialist 3y ago

We can't even mitigate relatively banal problems like wild boars and Himalayan black berries. My go to "oopsie" is the radioactive plume crawling towards the Columbia River. Once that breeches, all settlements downstream will be uninhabitable. Bye bye Portlandia.

guywithahat 3y ago

Right, there are problems, but we’ve survived the last 10,000 years of civilization I think it seems foolish to expect us to collapse in the next 50. I would also argue in the context of humanity, those problems have been solved enough to not be an issue to humanity as a whole (keeping in mind this doesn’t mean I personally love the outcome, just that society has been able to rebound and continue to grow)