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by adem 1626 days ago
CTRL+F "climate" - Phrase not found. This is saddening. But hey, at least blockchain is present!
8 comments

Please don't post shallow indignant comments to HN. They're lame, even if you're right, and they make discussion quality significantly worse.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Come on...before you post complaints about how someone else is literally giving away millions of dollars to the wrong promising young people, maybe actually read the list of projects?

"Zeno Power is developing small-scale nuclear power systems to provide clean and resilient power in austere environments." He's literally funding clean energy.

And even if this year's list didn't have that in the list, let's celebrate someone doing good instead of lobbing stones from the sidelines about how they didn't do it the exact way we would have.

If there were things on there about climate or carbon capture people would find something else to hate about it. It's not enough. It won't work. And so on...
That's extremely glass half-empty of you. There's a surprising number of companies in this list that are about sustainable production. And Zeno Power is developing clean (nuclear) energy.
The first person is working electric aviation (but their website mentions military uses alongside the usual medical aid ones - point for honesty?)

Another one is about small scale nuclear reactors.

So it this just about the term? It the people?

It’s not very environmental directed, but not everything has to be.

> Zeno Power is developing small-scale nuclear power systems to provide clean and resilient power in austere environments.

Also, not everyone has to frame and align every single one of their actions in accordance with the "progressive" view.

Only certain folks think of the climate as a '"progressive" view'
Not really. It is certainly an issue which progressives put more weight on. And there is a disagreement on the solutions too: progressives are generally apprehensive about nuclear. [1]

You can personally attack me with any one of the "certain" labels in the arsenal. But you can also choose to argue in good faith.

[1]: e.g. https://www.greenamerica.org/fight-dirty-energy/amazon-build...

> And there is a disagreement on the solutions too: progressives are generally apprehensive about nuclear.

Yeah, this is one of the things I really hate about my side of the aisle. It's stupid, unscientific, and just plain uninformed. Nuclear energy is one of our best, most actually viable ways out of this mess. (File with: GMO crops, 'chemicals', etc.)

I replied to parent. Democrats now poll around 60% in favor of nuclear energy while Republicans poll at 64% in favor. It changed a lot in a few years.
Ah, I hadn't realised that. I'm really glad to hear that. Obviously I hope PV and other green energy sources will take off, but in the interim nuclear is by far the best established and working green source of energy.
That was interesting. Surveys are not that reliable though, and the outcome depends on how the question is being asked.

I found this 2020 survey by Pew Research which I think paints a more realistic picture [1]. It has a larger sample size [2], and IMO it asks a more objective/specific question.

Among "Conservative Republicans", 59% responded that they support expanding nuclear power plants, in contrast with 35% of "Liberal Democrats". Interestingly, for "Mod/lib Republicans", that number is also below 50%.

You might have a point though. My personal observation is that there has been a slight shift among the progressives, but not as much as the graph by ecoAmerica suggests.

[1]: https://archive.is/2iEHj#selection-1253.0-1253.154

[2]: I think the sample size is 10,957.

This survey is still a year and 7 months old now. In my personal observation is that most of the folks I know here in NYC who identify as a Democrat, Progressive, etc are in favor of nuclear power.
I see electric planes and telemedicine, which are both climate related.

And an even bigger one:

> Zeno Power is developing small-scale nuclear power systems to provide clean and resilient power in austere environments.

The last company mentioned does mentions clean energy, but yeah, there is a lot of blockchain here.
Vitalik Buterin was on Forbes' 30 under 30 a few years ago. These rankings and fellowships mean nothing.
Please note that you are conflating two different things.

This piece is on the fellowship, and the article says: “To date, companies created by Thiel Fellows are together valued at more than $46.8 billion, excluding Ethereum which is valued at $450 billion.”