Apocalypse Now
I'm teaching an environmental science class this semester, which means that I'm up to my ears in utterly depressing stories of destroyed ecosystems and hopeless futures. I'm trying to keep things chipper, and focus on functional ecosystems as much as dysfunctional ones, and to emphasize possible solutions to our problems....but, man, there's not
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I don't think nuclear power is a silver bullet. It only accounts for about 17% of domestic electricity generation, probably in large part because the last plant was started in 1972 (and not fully completed until 1989). No one in the U.S. has attempted to build a new plant in 30+ years, but five applications were submitted in 2007, so that seems to be changing. That's not exactly a Mighty Ducks comeback, but it's a start.
While nuclear power alone won't save us, any upswing in energy sources that don't fuck the atmosphere - nuclear, solar, wind, etc. - is good news. I can't think of a single power source that doesn't come with a lot of not-in-my-backyard syndrome, so things will get worse before getting better, but rising energy bills and rolling blackouts will probably change minds. It's like you said, the infrastructure will probably have to take some kicks to the teeth before people really notice.
I also don't think electric cars will be our salvation, in large part because they will put more strain on our already faltering electrical generation capacity, but again, it's encouraging to see the work being done. It's a step in the right direction. If nothing else maybe if fusion finally comes through in 50 years we'll have vehicles on the road that can take advantage of it. :-)
In short, I feel that many technological advancements from the last quarter century have given us the tools to change our society. It will take serious damage before those technologies are implemented, so folks like us will have to keep buying CFL bulbs and not driving SUVs in the meantime. :-)
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