A Brief Note on CO2 Emissions

According to at least one environmentalist web site, only 44% of the CO₂ emitted per year winds up in the atmosphere. By odd coincidence that's almost the same percentage of the CO₂ that comes from coal. In other words, if we simply replace coal with nukes, that should stop the CO₂ increase.

Coal and nuclear energy are near substitutes: They are both most useful for predictable base-load electricity generation. The common complaint that we can't have an all-nuclear energy system because of the alleged difficulties of running a car on nukes or because of the problems of generating peak power don't apply.

One common defense of coal that isn't that valid: that we need coal to provide jobs. If the same amount is being spent, the same number of jobs should be supplied. The biggest danger is that we might get less energy for the money, i.e., prices will rise.