Should America Go Nuclear?

Matter of Opinion

New York Times Opinion

Society & Culture, Ross Douthat, News, New York Times, Journalism

4.2 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2021

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

President Biden has set an ambitious goal for the United States to be carbon-neutral by 2050. Achieving it means weaning the country off fossil fuels and using more alternative energy sources like solar and wind. But environmentalists disagree about whether nuclear power should be part of the mix. Todd Larsen, executive co-director for consumer and corporate engagement at Green America and Meghan Claire Hammond, senior fellow at the Good Energy Collective, a policy research organization focusing on new nuclear technology, join Jane Coaston to debate whether nuclear power is worth the risks. And then the Times columnist Bret Stephens joins Jane to talk about why he thinks America needs a liberal party.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today on the argument, can nuclear power save us from the climate crisis?
0:10.7	Most reasonable people agree that unless we get our carbon emissions under control, we're
0:14.5	headed towards a climate disaster.
0:17.0	But they don't agree on how to do it.
0:20.5	Wind farms and solar panels are part of the solution, so our better battery isn't a more efficient
0:25.1	electrical grid.
0:26.8	It shouldn't we be throwing everything at one of the biggest problems our plant has ever
0:30.9	faced?
0:31.9	Like, ever, ever faced?
0:38.4	I'm Jane Kostin, and I'm curious about nuclear power.
0:42.7	France gets more than 70% of its electricity from nuclear power.
0:46.6	Sweden, more than 40%.
0:49.2	Here in the United States, we're more skittish.
0:52.1	As though nuclear is clean, when it goes wrong, it goes really, really, really wrong.
0:59.6	My guest today disagree on the risks and rewards of nuclear power.
1:03.8	MC Hammond is a senior fellow at the Good Energy Collective, a progressive nonprofit that
1:09.2	does nuclear research.
1:11.3	She's also a lawyer, Pillsbury Law.
1:13.9	MC's opinions today don't represent the opinions or positions of her firm.
1:19.9	Todd Larson is the executive co-director for Consumer Inc. at Green America, a nonprofit
1:26.1	group focused on environmental sustainability.
1:34.4	First and foremost, there are more than 50 nuclear power plants operating at states right
	...

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