I’m a fan of coming up with guidelines to simplify my choices. Those can be rules, like “never lie” or heuristics like “try to own fewer things”. With this kind of simplification in mind, some people go on a rampage and institute rules for themselves (or their kids) that are more like “never eat sugar/gluten/…” or “never buy anything that’s wrapped in plastic”. In their attempt to make life easier, these people have the exact opposite effect. By oversimplifying their life, they make life much harder for themselves and almost everyone around them.
On a political level, many lovers of sustainability consider all types of non-renewable energy bad. This is a simple position to hold, but also one that cannibalizes it’s own goals. In order to simultaneously reach our climate goals and fulfil the energy needs we actually have, generation IV nuclear reactors are by far our best bet, in addition to renewable sources. They can also deal with the nuclear waste from previous generations, solving two problems at once. Opposing nuclear in favor of renewables is an oversimplified position, these days.
So whenever we try to simplify our choices, it’s our due diligence to check if these simplifications have the intended effect. Otherwise, we might move the needle in the wrong direction — for whatever goal we choose to measure.