> I sort of see nuclear power plants (at least certain designs) as a ticking time bomb

But that's just progress, right? Even now we still do stupid things with regular chemicals despite knowing not to.

Every chemical process evolves and gets safer. 1st gen nuclear power stations were/are potentially able to meltdown. Newer designs can't. But we can never be safe from human stupidity and wars.

For example - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_industrial_disasters

And even recently: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Beirut_explosion

Somehow people will ignore those disasters as they're not nuclear, but Chernobyl+Fukashima everyone remembers. It just feels like "meltdown and waste" whilst genuine concerns, aren't really the conversation-ending arguments people pretend them to be.

(edit - I live within 15 miles of a nuclear power station, and I'm completely comfortable with that).