Throughout the history of human civilization, once we have invented something new, we have never “un-done” it. It has simply become a question of learning how to fold it into our existence and/or improving on it. But there is always a first time for everything, and this needs to be the first for humanity in the field of new technologies.
Nuclear energy and nuclear weapons is the apex of human control over nature, and with it as we know, comes the risk of total annihilation of the planet, so the margin for error is very small.
Whether you want to chalk it up to faith in the human condition or dumb luck, barring a couple of reactor tragedies around the globe, humanity has been uncharacteristically mature in its handling of nuclear technology and weapons since 1945.
But we’ve also learned over the last 75+ years that peaceful nuclear technology for energy purposes comes at an expensive price as well, not the least of which is the long term storage of radioactive waste fuel & water or the potential for catastrophic meltdowns like Chernobyl or Fukushima.
The only remaining advancement in the field of nuclear technology is fusion technology, and with that we truly would be recreating the sun right here on earth, and while it would produce no waste in theory, it also holds the potential to end life on the planet.
I would not discourage continued research into fusion technology by responsible nations and scientists, but we definitely need to encourage the nations of the world to move away from nuclear power plants and to dispose of all nuclear weapons, including our own.
It won’t be easy, and many will say that we should be the last ones to disarm, but as the only country to ever use them in anger, I actually think it goes back to our leadership of the world to set a good example and eliminate our nuclear weapons first.
Start a positive spiral of shame on other countries that still possess them to pressure them into getting rid of theirs too.
We are a superpower, and even if we didn’t have nuclear weapons at all, and were threatened by a nuclear state like North Korea, we know we can wipe them off the face of the world with conventional weapons anyway.
Our days of potentially being held hostage or blackmailed by another nation simply because they have nuclear weapons are long gone.
Perry Waag 