this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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[–] coalie@piefed.zip 178 points 5 days ago (9 children)

Well nuclear power plants create something more useful than ai data centers, nuclear waste.

[–] call_me_xale@lemmy.zip 94 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

Hell, some of the more modern designs barely produce that...

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 34 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I still remember learning that and about breeder reactors (they produce fissile material from common isotopes) and feeling so betrayed by the common zeitgeist

[–] Mountainaire@lemmy.world 35 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Indeed, nuclear is among the safest and cleanest forms of energy currently available to us! All the waste in the world for life barely fills a few football fields' worth of space, if I recall correctly.

[–] McTavern@lemmy.world 17 points 5 days ago (2 children)

One football field 10 meters high to be precise.

[–] zurohki@aussie.zone 26 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

One football field 10 meters high

You're mixing US and metric measurement systems there. You should either stick to meters or come up with a sports analogy for the height.

[–] arrow74@lemmy.zip 16 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

11.574 standard National Baseball League baseball bats high

[–] ferrule@sh.itjust.works 6 points 4 days ago

One futball field 10 meters high to be precise.

FTFY

[–] inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

What if their from the parts of the world that call "soccer" football and also use metric? Which is basically everyone.

[–] HiTekRedNek@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

That's only true now because for decades, the UK called it Soccer from a shortening of Association Football to separate it from "Rugger" or Rugby Football.

Now, Rugby has dropped the "football" and soccer is now only an American term because the brits decided to stop using the term THEY coined.

[–] Mountainaire@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

I knew it was something around there, thanks!

[–] richardwallass@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The issue with waste is not the volume but the duration.

[–] Mountainaire@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

But surely you'd agree that we have more than enough space for even lifetime storage, no? Compare that to the junk emitted from nearly everything else. What is your proposed alternative?

Space is not a problem in. The issue is finding a safe place. And the timescale is so huge that it is very difficult to manage.

[–] call_me_xale@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago

Non-fissile material goes in, nuclear power comes out. Can't explain that.

[–] urandom@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

What’s the point then?!

[–] Shadowklaw@slrpnk.net 28 points 5 days ago

Some groups have started to extract materials from nuclear waste that can provide Targeted Alpha Therapy for cancer patients, so very true.

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 13 points 4 days ago

Nuclear waste can be reprocessed and reused. France has been doing it for decades. Or you could reuse it in a thorium reactor, which needs less reprocessing.

Another thing people forget about is that nuclear power is the main source for tritium, which we have a shortage of and it's getting worse as more nuclear plants are decommissioned. Tritium has a lot of uses, but it's most noteworthy use is fuel for fusion power. If decommission all nuclear plants, fusion research is effectively dead in the water

[–] Steve@communick.news 18 points 5 days ago

Electricity too

[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

Much of which can be used in hospitals for life saving medical uses! Double dunk on AI failures.

[–] Vespair@lemmy.zip 6 points 5 days ago

Masterful comment delivery, kudos

Loads depleted uranium rounds with militaristic intent

[–] neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 days ago

Came here to say that one gives and the other one takes.