US is the no. 1 polluter in the world

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

Neal - I can answer that.

We are #1 in nuclear waste - though "pollution" is a stretch because our waste gets buried in Yucca Mountain where it won't harm the environment. But I guess one could say that its existance equals pollution.

However the real crime against humanity comes from the fact that our philosophy of self determination, independance and a refusal to embrace global collectivism means our views, ideals and way of life is the largest possible "pollutant" to many people like OTH.

I guess scale is the issue here, what scale do various nations operate with. As far as nuclear power plants, the Soviets already had one accident. I haven't yet been convinced by the end storage systems and facilities in any country. Yes, Finland buries it's nuclear waste in some bed rock somewhere but it's a matter of debate.

How can we know there's not earthquakes or some kind of cracks in the earths core or some similar type system that might rupture the nuclear waste storage. Nuclear waste stays 'live' for millenia so I'd say it's a cause for concern.

The US produces the most nuclear waste but I haven't yet found a reliable list. This one doesn't have Russia in it so it's probably not 100% correct.

Ok according to this Russia is no. 5 but the emerging eastern economies are catching up to the west fast.

And as far as do I have problem with the US 'way of life', yea I guess I do. Partly because Finland is said to be most like the US in Europe in that we brainlessly emulate the States in almost everything. I've even seen some Hummers in the streets.