Is nuclear the next viable step to battle climate change?

Is nuclear the next viable step to battle climate change?

(Source: slashingtongue.com)
In the latest episode of Real Time with Bill Maher on 3/4/2009, there was a point made by David Frum. He made the point that should the world be serious on the point of combating climate change, there should be a whole hearted shift to nuclear power. But how credible is this point?
For one, nuclear energy is very clean. It only emits only water vapor into the air (due to water turning into steam in the cooling process of creating nuclear energy). It is being used extensively in France which has more than ¾ of her electrical energy coming from nuclear power, and France has yet to suffer any big drawbacks of nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy is also available in the United States. In fact, United States export nuclear materials to India as highlighted in the deal recently signed between India and the United States. So there is also the point of it being something that could bring down the net deficits that the United States is suffering.
The flip of this coin is that while it does not emit any carbon emissions, there still need to be place to store the solid waste that is produced by means of nuclear energy. This is rather expensive and what represents the majority of the cost incurred while creating nuclear power.
The other problem is a very simple thing : It is limited and not recyclable. You cannot use a standard rod of uranium again after you used it once. Should the world shift to nuclear energy all at once, it would only last 50-150 years.
To me that is my major bone of contention with nuclear power. While it is no doubt better than the carbon based fuels that we are using today, it is still not a permanent solution to the problem at all. I also think that because of that, nuclear power should be only used as a stop-gap measure. Nuclear energy should only be used because it can buy time for the transition to other forms of fuels.

There are several already in the market. Transportation is one of the areas of our society that emits the most carbon into the atmosphere. It is time that we look to alternatives there too. The most promising as Jay Leno can attest to is Hydrogen cars. Currently, only the Germans have the technology to split oxygen from ice (water) cost effectively. Hydrogen cars react with Oxygen to form water. The Japanese have technology that can do that but not take Hydrogen out cost effectively.
We should also be looking at solutions such as Algaculture. Algae can be harvested in a multi-story level. Ask anybody that has a pool and fish tank on what happens when you do not clean them. It is easy to produce and is more produced 10 times more fuel than bio-diesel made from the US bio-fuel of choice, corn. In fact even sugar is more efficient than corn. Read Article...
http://slashingtongue.com/opinion/is-nuclear-the-next-viable-step-to-battle-climate-change/

Obesity in America

Obesity in America

(From 'The Waisteland' Mother Jones)
In 2006, the surgeon general called obesity "the terror within" and said it could "dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist attempt."
A recent anti-obesity ad campaign featured a "suicide bomber" with bars of butter strapped to his chest.
A 2002 study found that 13% of men and 17% of women of recruitment age are too fat to serve in the military.
Recent studies have attributed obesity to low-fat foods, lack of sleep, ear infections, intestinal bacteria, pollution, plastics, poverty, air conditioners, socializing with obese people, your mom's age when you were born, and your maternal grandmother's diet.
Researchers say obese Americans contribute disproportionately to global warming by consuming 18% more food and 938 million extra gallons of gas every year.

The Obesity Crisis: What's it all about?
The nation's scales are going up...up...up...and it's clear that we have an obesity health crisis on our hands. So what can we do about America's obesity epidemic? It's not just a case of telling people to eat fewer doughnuts and walk around the block each day. Scientists--including specialists called endocrinologists--are looking into the many biological angles behind adult obesity, childhood (pediatric) obesity, and obesity-related health problems (diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, and are working to figure out how to combat the obesity epidemic.

The Domestic Impact
While obesity rates have increased in adults nationwide, the obesity epidemic has increased more dramatically in specific areas of the country. The following chart depicts a regional breakdown of the obesity epidemic among people in the U.S. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is highest overall in the Southern region of the country.

Obama to give extra push to climate talks: U.N. official said.

Obama to give extra push to climate talks: U.N. official said.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Barack Obama will give fresh momentum to talks for a new global pact to fight global warming, although countries still need to clear up issues such as funding for developing nations, a top U.N. official said on Wednesday.
About 190 countries are trying to craft a broader climate treaty by December to replace the Kyoto Protocol that only binds wealthy nations to emissions targets between 2008 and 2012.
Rich and poor countries remain divided over funds for clean energy investment and technology transfer, as well as new targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions blamed for causing droughts, floods and disease.
"President-elect Obama has said some very encouraging things about his domestic ambitions and his will to engage internationally," Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, told Reuters.