> We’d been talking about the danger of climate change in 2150.
More importantly, people would be terrified of fossil fuel production. Spills, mining accidents, radioactive pollution (yes, coal puts out more radioactive pollution than does a nuclear power plant), particulate-related respiratory diseases, and so forth.
To think that people are afraid of nuclear energy is just crazy, I cannot comprehend how nuclear is perceived dangerous yet fossil fuels are somehow not.
People are more afraid of clearly defined risks (local nuclear plant goes boom) than more abstract risks (slowly developing health issues due to air pollution). (Can’t find citation, this was likely mentioned in book Freakonomics)
This is likely built into us through evolution. Natural selection has rewarded quick choices over analyzing and thinking probabilities.
I think it has to do with how humans are wired; slow burning dangers don’t seem to be registered the same way that nuclear fallout and the dread of meltdowns as one big catastrophe are.
A nuclear plant failure, I'm faced with something I can do nothing about. Coal .. well unless our case of whole-plane-pollution .. you can mitigate.
Same for cars vs planes. In a plane, I delegate my life to stats. Anything happens, I can do nothing about. My car.. I can always use slower, lighter roads, keep larger safety distance. Even if the odds of car crash are higher. (also if I were to drive alone in the midwest, my crash stats would probably be as high as planes.. density is a factor it seems)
I think it’s more of an illusion of control… you can control your car to some extent like choosing flights that might have better weather that day or something but ultimately nobody thinks they’ll be a statistic until they are. Plenty of people die choosing lower traffic roads too.
The parachute won't help you during the dangerous part of flight.
Do you know what the most fatal portion of the sport of skydiving is? Statistically, the most deaths occur during the drive to or from the airport. Now just think of how safe _commercial_ air travel is.
> A nuclear plant failure, I'm faced with something I can do nothing about.
You can evacuate.
> Coal .. well unless our case of whole-plane-pollution .. you can mitigate.
What can you mitigate with regards to the dangers of fossil fuels? If an oil tanker spills, or a mine collapses, or the Earth warms to the point that crops no longer grow in areas where agriculture is comfortable, or your children must breathe carcinogen particulates, then what can you do?
The first issues are local in space and time, the filthy air is an issue but I could see wearing masks, having filters, it's still humanly tangible, nuclear hazard requires more efforts and a small contact means critical disease. For the climate collapse yeah I agree. But still, this is 100+ years of planet wide accumulated foolishness, not a few plant failures.
To think that people are afraid of nuclear energy is just crazy, I cannot comprehend how nuclear is perceived dangerous yet fossil fuels are somehow not.