Nuclear power

[Paleophyte]

If Humanity burns all of the fossil fuels that are available, then it is conceivable that we will annihilate ourselves; that's the issue here.  You can build all the nuclear power plants that you want; there won't be enough of them to supply the entire World with the energy levels of Western consumption.  As such, if we do not consume the fossil fuels, the rest of the World will.

Fossil fuels currently account for 60% of global energy production. Nuclear accounts for 10%. Explain to me why those fossil fuels can't be replaced by nuclear. I see no physical reason.

For a given value of "short-term". Existing resources could run our entire power grid for millennia. The climate crisis that fossil fuels has produced needs fixing within decades. OK, decades ago, but you get the sense of immediacy. We can implement nuclear now or we can suck back another few decades of CO2 emissions as the sea levels rise. Those may not be palatable options to you but they're what's on the table for our energy-hungry society.

And, you've proven my point.  Replace the 200+ coal plants in the United States with nuclear power ones.  The coal that exists all throughout the United States will still be mined and will be shipped overseas to be burned in coal fired plants elsewhere.

Stop mining coal in the US. For that matter, stop mining it everywhere. All you need to do is regulate it a tenth as strictly as the nuclear industry and it ceases to be profitable.

Right now the big problem is China, which accounts for roughly 2/3rds of global coal consumption. They're trying to ween themselves off of it, which we should be encouraging.

And if all you're going to do is run around throwing up roadblocks and wailing that the sky is falling then you aren't terribly useful. Try proposing some useful solutions.