SCR's (thyristors) are still used in ultra high reliability rectifers (yes even 48VDC, from 10 to 10,000 amps) as they have the fewest parts, no EMC concerns, and a simple analog circuit can perform all the control - also earth shielding in the transformer stops a lot of CM impulses getting through to the secondary - also they can have overload capability (e.g. 200% for 30 mins)
Using 800V or 1.2kV SCR's (on the o/p side) means it is unlikely they will ever fail due to mains spikes.
It is possible to create a unit with a 15 year full power lifetime (with suitable electrolytic caps) and there are examples in the field that have lasted 20+ years,
usually it is the control circuits that cause the ultimte demise (especially so with uP controllers).
Hopefully the above answers your questions.
p.s. on the green front, the iron and copper used (and Al heatsinks) can be completely and easily recycled on an SCR converter.
Also the efficiency is quite good and can often be around the 92% level, 95% for low loss 50/60Hz transformers.