To me, everything we do is technology. Progression is technology. It is tempting to buy into piling all the blame onto some part of humanity for the problems we see, claiming "they" are solely responsible, when actually we all contribute, it is the system we all participate in which is broken, and we need to use this thing called technology to fix not us, but it.
I am equally critical of Avi's thinking as I am of your own.
Neither is likely to admit our own part in the problem.
Science has a massive problem, by the failure to mathematically sign energy, as I've tried to point out to Avi elsewhere.
We absolutely have to admit our respective parts played in it, to fix the problem.
On the example of radiactive waste, we can indeed fix by technology.
We can put it on rockets and send it onto the sun, for example.
We don't do that, and probably never will, as long as we are trapped in the illusion that all things have to be done at profit.
Monetise the free Joules of the energy of the sun, that we create product from, like any product created from extracted energy already is, and we have suddenly the resources needed to do formerly extravagent things, like making things safe for the public, with no need for profit.
There is no shortage of funds after that, but it has to be given to all people, otherwise we will see no change. If there is preference, then we will still see just a priveliged few people making existential decisions on behalf of all others that they deem are "Not intelligent enough" to have a say in things, and of course the wrong decisions will continue to be made.
The requirements and concerns of the whole of humanity need to be met, not just those we agree with, on the limited information we have available, so of course they all need to have an input too.