“Why exchange pollutants which would be gone in 50 years for those that won’t be safe for thousands?”
For the plants now running, there wasn’t much choice - all the ‘experts’ said we were running out of fuel and solar/wind wasn’t practical at all. Now that we have the nukes, we might as well get the nearly free power out of them, because we’re going to get the waste regardless.
As to the future, there are options for nuclear power without nearly the issue regarding waste - including stable nuclear fuels and breeder reactors.
The amount of power you draw from a reactor determines its waste output. Waste is, I believe, almost universally stored locally. The world should be grateful there is only one Fukushima. There is probably no way to ever clean it up.
All reactors produce nuclear waste. The plant, itself, becomes a problem.
As to choices, I submit Donald J Trump - American energy exporter in 3 years. I don’t want to let the lunatics forcing this disaster on the world, saddle us with a debt of thousands of years. Especially when there is no need.