this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2024
591 points (100.0% liked)
solarpunk memes
109 readers
7 users here now
For when you need a laugh!
The definition of a "meme" here is intentionally pretty loose. Images, screenshots, and the like are welcome!
But, keep it lighthearted and/or within our server's ideals.
Posts and comments that are hateful, trolling, inciting, and/or overly negative will be removed at the moderators' discretion.
Please follow all slrpnk.net rules and community guidelines
Have fun!
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I don't know about all of you, but I know I wouldn't want to cross oceans without a good engine.
Storms are not cool. Not being in the age of sail anymore seems good.
Nuclear submarines already exist. Why not use that technology for shipping purposes?
But the point of this meme is that by reducing our use of coal and oil on land, our need for those ships would also dwindle.
Ships can register any nation as their flag state, so they often choose flags of convenience based on whoever has the lowest fees or regulations -- or more insidiously, whoever has the least ability to hold companies accountable.
This is why so many shipping companies register in Liberia, Panama, and the Marshall Islands. Also Mongolia, which is landlocked.
So unless we want to fill the oceans and ports with ships that have nuclear reactors with no regulation, no safety measures, and no accountability, we're gonna have to fix the last hundred years of international maritime law.
Well, let’s hop to it!
The big thing is that ports need to learn how to handle and refuel nuclear material. It's all possible, but not a small task. The ports won't want to do it until there are ships that need it, and the ships won't want to do it until there are ports that can handle it.
Why would you pick a submarine for civil purposes? Just use a "normal" freighter and "slap" nuclear power on it.
(Ignoring the glaring issues from nuclear power on land that would be exacerbated at sea)
Ok maybe I wasn’t clear enough. That’s exactly what I meant. The nuclear technology, not the submarine technology.
What are the glaring issues?