Comments on: Engineers vs Druids http://blog.longnow.org/2007/09/25/engineers-vs-driuids/ The Official Weblog of The Long Now Foundation and Friends Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:43:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Alexander Rose http://blog.longnow.org/2007/09/25/engineers-vs-driuids/comment-page-1/#comment-2664 Alexander Rose Wed, 26 Sep 2007 05:03:55 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2007/09/25/engineers-vs-driuids/#comment-2664 You are right that the reasons are diverse, and I don't think any one is representative. For instance I am not a big proponent of nuclear because it promotes secrecy and is far too difficult to share with the world. But irregardless of the reasons, the number of large (and even small) very low carbon power plants (like wind) that have been shut down due to aesthetic, or bird kill reasons is large and growing. And all the while we continue to suck down coal generated power with much less of a fuss because those plants are increasingly not in our affluent back yards. You are right that the reasons are diverse, and I don’t think any one is representative. For instance I am not a big proponent of nuclear because it promotes secrecy and is far too difficult to share with the world. But irregardless of the reasons, the number of large (and even small) very low carbon power plants (like wind) that have been shut down due to aesthetic, or bird kill reasons is large and growing. And all the while we continue to suck down coal generated power with much less of a fuss because those plants are increasingly not in our affluent back yards.

]]> By: Jamais Cascio http://blog.longnow.org/2007/09/25/engineers-vs-driuids/comment-page-1/#comment-2663 Jamais Cascio Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:22:34 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2007/09/25/engineers-vs-driuids/#comment-2663 I think you'll find that there are many, *many* environmentalists who don't want to see expansion of nuclear power for a variety of reasons relating to long-term impact, safety, centralization of power, and so forth, and a comparatively *much* smaller number who have come out against wind and solar for aesthetic reasons. The latter group seems to be limited to upper/upper-middle class residents of remote locations, who by no means represent anything more than a tiny fraction of the overall environmental movement. The differences between the two perspectives are so profound that lumping them together as you have above pretty much renders the argument non-sensical. Sorry. I think you’ll find that there are many, *many* environmentalists who don’t want to see expansion of nuclear power for a variety of reasons relating to long-term impact, safety, centralization of power, and so forth, and a comparatively *much* smaller number who have come out against wind and solar for aesthetic reasons. The latter group seems to be limited to upper/upper-middle class residents of remote locations, who by no means represent anything more than a tiny fraction of the overall environmental movement. The differences between the two perspectives are so profound that lumping them together as you have above pretty much renders the argument non-sensical.

Sorry.

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