Thorium

Shortly after the development of the atomic bomb the science moved toward nuclear power plants. Early experiments used uranium and thorium but uranium won out because it could be used to produce bombs but thorium could not. New technology has shown thorium to be a more efficient way to produce electric power and countries like China and Indian are moving in that direction. The US is bogged down by the fossil fuel industry and the greens who want to use wind and solar to change the social structure of the country. If the thorium industry had paid experts to sell its product like the other two groups things might change. Even though the nuclear power industry has a sterling safety record thorium plants are even safer, but these other groups keep Americans leery of its use for personal gain. This is just one more example where politics is interfering with science. Thorium is three times more abundant in nature than uranium. Compared to uranium reactors, thorium reactors produce far less waste and the waste that is generated is much less radioactive and much shorter-lived.