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Hello and welcome to Behind the News. My name is Doug Henwood.

Two segments today, I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn.

The science journalist Lee Phillips will explain why nuclear power is essential to any serious decarbonization program.

And then the political analyst will look in the air is Shenko.

We'll talk about the Russian and Ukrainian ruling classes and what they gain in lose from war.

Nuclear power has long been a major no in the left. It may be time to question that orthodoxy.

As New York state saw when it shut the Indian point plant north of the city, carbon emissions soared.

And Germany, which is on track to shut its reactors by the end of this year, has turned to coal the nastiest fuel of all

because of limited Russian gas supplies. A move approved of by the energy minister, a member of the green party,

which has been implacably anti-nuke.

The government is, however, now rethinking the nuclear shutdown, though the greens who are part of the governing coalition,

they try to block any extension.

In April, I had the energy economist Charles Cominoff on the show to argue against shutting existing nuclear plants for precisely those reasons.

Here's against building more.

My next guest, the science journalist Lee Phillips, is all for building new ones.

Though this will provoke alarm, he argues that the evidence shows nuclear to be the least dangerous of all sources of power.

And by the way, none are free of danger.

Lee is the co-author, along with Nicole Rusworsky, of the People's Republic of Walmart, and has written for nature, new scientists, science,

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