Opinion: In today’s pages: Global warming, pool hogging, FDR reforming
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
The editorial board continues its ‘A Warming World’ series with an analysis of nuclear power in the wake of Japan’s earthquake-related nuclear accident last week:
[R]ising natural gas prices and worries about global warming have put the nuclear industry back on track. Many respected academics and environmentalists argue that nuclear power must be part of any solution to climate change because nuclear power plants don’t release greenhouse gases.They make a weak case. The enormous cost of building nuclear plants, the reluctance of investors to fund them, community opposition and an endless controversy over what to do with the waste ensure that ramping up the nuclear infrastructure will be a slow process — far too slow to make a difference onglobal warming. That’s just as well, because nuclear power is extremely risky. What’s more, there are cleaner, cheaper, faster alternatives that come with none of the risks.
Ventura city manager Rick Cole also chimes in on global warming, arguing that California has to change its car culture. LA Weekly columnist Marc Cooper reports on another hot-weather trend -- tyrannical tots taking over Palm Springs-area pools. Columnist Gregory Rodriguez explains why a study saying Americans aren’t attuned to others’ views doesn’t see the whole picture. Bloomberg columnist Amity Shlaes explains that unlike this Congress, even Franklin D. Roosevelt knew when to reform his reforms.
On the letters page, see why San Luis Obispo’s John Handy thinks that ‘The only safe course for Democrats is to pin the blame on Iraqis, not President Bush.’