One thing is certain: we need to wean ourselves of fossil fuels. Why? Many reasons. Among the leading ones, 1) fossil fuels are a limited resource (we'll run out of them some day); 2) China, India, Brazil, and other burgeoning economies will need fossil fuels; 3) for the time being we'll continue to need fossil fuels to power our modes of transportation; and 4) we depend on plastics but as yet there is no substitute for petroleum as a base for making most plastics.

While there are several alternatives to fossil fuels for powering our cities and homes, only nuclear energy provides constant energy from a source that is both relatively abundant and can provide constant energy. Wind comes and goes. The tides, while predictable, are intermittent, solar would work were it not for nighttime and clouds.

The public views nuclear energy as dangerous, but most nuclear plants chug along without dangerous incident. Unfortunately, the few incidents that happen take over the news for days or weeks at a time, leaving the impression that they are more dangerous than fossil fuels.

However, fossil fuels are worse. They simply kill us slowly and constantly, not suddenly and in spurts. We are like the frog in the pot who doesn't realize that the water is getting hotter and thus never hops out of the pot before he is boiled.

We need nuclear energy. The occasional disasters are due mostly to poor design or poor location. If you have a well-designed plant that isn't situated in an earthquake prone area or on a shoreline, it is proably safe.

In the long run, even given a few incidents along the way, we are better off depending upon nuclear energy to power our cities and homes.

Do you disagree?