A misleading post in the r/UnpopularOpinion Reddit community generated resistance from commenters who argued that renewable energy sources are viable options to meet the world’s energy needs.

The original poster caused controversy as they wrote: “The idea that renewable energy can meet the world’s energy needs is absurd. The idea that people will be willing to make lifestyle changes on a scale significant enough to make a difference for the environment is overly optimistic and shouldn’t be relied upon. What we need is nuclear.”

However, the idea that only nuclear energy is the road to a better world was negated not just by commenters in the community but also by scientists.

“I agree that nuclear power is this weird boogeyman, but there’s no reason that we can’t use that in conjunction with solar, wind, and hydropower,” wrote one commenter. “The best solution here is a hybrid of all of them, with different levels depending on regional, economic, and other factors.”

One of the key arguments uplifted by the community against the OP was that “the whole point of renewable energy is that it doesn’t run out.” In contrast, nuclear energy relies on uranium and plutonium, which are sources that can be depleted. While thorium is abundant, it produces waste of higher radioactivity, which is said to be more dangerous than other sources of energy. Further, as one user described, “mining it, no matter how responsibly done, is a filthy process, harmful to the environment.”

Meanwhile, renewable energy, which reuses energy sources already in place instead of depleting the Earth of sources, is safer and requires less depletion from the planet.

Most scientists agree that a mix of the two is necessary to support the environment. Still, there are different theories based on different contexts. Overwhelmingly, it is believed that “renewable energy, combined with energy efficiency and energy storage, is a faster and more cost-effective solution.”

It’s further been found in a study by the University of Cambridge that “individuals with a higher level of scientific education are more likely to prefer solar energy” as the most viable way to combat climate change.

Ultimately, the OP’s absolutism that renewable energy will never meet the world’s energy needs is what many scientists and commenters believed was misleading. Both are necessary to mitigate environmental damage, and creating a debate that they are mutually exclusive makes it more difficult for everyone to move toward a cleaner future.

One Redditor added: “OP’s opinion on renewables is uninformed.”

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Another user commented: “Speaking as an engineer, you’re wrong.”

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