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1041 points mpweiher | 19 comments | | HN request time: 1.06s | source | bottom
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medlazik ◴[] No.45225462[source]
Uranium mining isn't clean at all. Between Greenpeace (full of business school hacks) and lobby pressured EU courts, there's a middle ground.
replies(3): >>45225584 #>>45225589 #>>45225770 #
acidburnNSA ◴[] No.45225589[source]
What do you mean? Modern in situ uranium mining is one of the lowest impact mining of resources we have. It's not perfectly clean, but it's pretty darn good.
replies(1): >>45225667 #
1. medlazik ◴[] No.45225667[source]
>What do you mean?

I mean it's not clean

>one of the lowest impact mining of resources we have

Not the point. It's not clean, it shouldn't be called clean end of the story.

replies(5): >>45225768 #>>45225796 #>>45225799 #>>45225919 #>>45226522 #
2. alexey-salmin ◴[] No.45225768[source]
Do you think rare earth minerals for batteries and photovoltaics grow on trees?
replies(2): >>45225805 #>>45227861 #
3. acidburnNSA ◴[] No.45225796[source]
Ok, well by this definition, all human development activity is unclean. This is a perfectly valid point of view but is pretty distinct from the modern definition of clean.
replies(1): >>45225862 #
4. IAmBroom ◴[] No.45225799[source]
Are you saying it's less clean than mining for the materials that make up solar panels and wind turbines?
5. medlazik ◴[] No.45225805[source]
Who talked about those? Not the fucking point. Nuclear isn't clean.
replies(1): >>45225908 #
6. medlazik ◴[] No.45225862[source]
> all human development activity is unclean

of course

> modern definition of clean

clean is clean. no need to lie or modernize word definitions to fit your agenda of promoting nuclear energy all day every day for a decade

replies(2): >>45225979 #>>45226014 #
7. alexey-salmin ◴[] No.45225908{3}[source]
What source of energy is clean then?
replies(1): >>45226431 #
8. stonemetal12 ◴[] No.45225919[source]
Then what is clean? By that definition Solar and Wind aren't because copper and iron mines aren't clean.
replies(1): >>45225997 #
9. gmanley ◴[] No.45225979{3}[source]
OK, but then by that logic, solar and and wind shouldn't be categorized as clean energy either. Clearly it's a matter of degrees and meant as a useful segmentation for taxation, etc.
replies(1): >>45226285 #
10. acidburnNSA ◴[] No.45226014{3}[source]
The problem in my mind with a "clean is clean" litmus test is that it eliminates the word "clean"'s ability to differentiate between sustainable and unsustainable human development.

Using systematic metrics to annoint something as clean so it can get clean energy credits so that people can invest in activities considered cleaner is valuable and useful even if none of the options are 100% perfectly in impactful to the natural world.

11. xandrius ◴[] No.45226285{4}[source]
Even doing nothing is not "clean" by that philosophy, since you'd did and your rotting corpse would taint the soil, making it unclean by default.
12. KaseKun ◴[] No.45226412{3}[source]
Now now, there are words that you can say to make your point that don't make you seem deranged.
13. KaseKun ◴[] No.45226431{4}[source]
No point, old mate just can't deal with anything but perfection. No energy source is clean, so let's not bother.
14. mpweiher ◴[] No.45226522[source]
Nuclear power uses around 1/10th the resources of intermittent renewables per kWh of electricity produced.

So if nuclear isn't clean, renewables are downright filthy.

replies(1): >>45229792 #
15. pfdietz ◴[] No.45227861[source]
Photovoltaics don't use rare earth minerals (and Li-ion batteries only use yttrium in one particular variety of LFP cells.)
16. locallost ◴[] No.45229792[source]
Citation needed.

I will save you the trouble because I already know where your numbers come from: the Quadrennial Technology Review by the US Department of Energy from around 10 years ago. These numbers have been thoroughly debunked [1]. They are simply wrong, likely out of laziness more than malice.

But the people that spread this around do it out of malice to dupe people and influence opinions. You've been duped.

[1] https://xcancel.com/simonahac/status/1318711842907123712

replies(1): >>45230169 #
17. mpweiher ◴[] No.45230169{3}[source]
> I already know where your numbers come from: the Quadrennial Technology Review by the US Department of Energy from around 10 years ago.

That turns out not to be the case.

Even if it were the case: an official study by the DOE was "thoroughly debunked", in your esteemed opinion, because some random Australian twitter user claims to have talked to a friend.

Right.

replies(1): >>45231503 #
18. locallost ◴[] No.45231503{4}[source]
He claims no such things. Instead he goes deep down the rabbit hole, brings back receipts and takes no prisoners.

Citation still needed. Real one will not come as it's nonsense.

replies(1): >>45231837 #
19. mpweiher ◴[] No.45231837{5}[source]
> He claims no such things.

Literally: "i asked a solar developer."

https://x.com/simonahac/status/1318711817502302209

> Citation still needed. Real one will not come as it's nonsense.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S254243512...