THE POWER OF NUCLEAR

Nuclear power seems to be returning to favor.

After a quick account of the Manhattan Project, journalist Visscher recounts the enthusiasm for peaceful uses of atomic energy, which peaked in the post–World War II decades before encountering challenges. At first, the possibility of nuclear war preoccupied everyone; activists denounced the bomb and radioactive nuclear fallout. Few attacked nuclear power, which advocates claimed would bring about a golden age of cheap electricity. By the 1970s, it produced electricity as cheaply as fossil fuels. Atmospheric testing stopped, but activist attention continued to focus on radiation—deadly, yet invisible. The result was an avalanche of safety regulations that made nuclear power more expensive than conventional power. Then came the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island and the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, and by 2000 nuclear power became—often literally—a cartoon epitome of evil technology. Now, in the 21st century, with a major contributor to global warming being greenhouse gases pouring from fossil fuel–burning power plants, the solution is clean energy—essentially solar and wind power, which are now practical and cheap. These fall silent, of course, in the absence of sun and wind. Two major power sources can fill in the gaps: fossil fuel and nuclear. Convinced that atomic power spreads poison, most activists remain opposed. Polls show that people generally support nuclear power, but opponents, far more fierce, attract more media attention. Visscher argues that opposition to nuclear power is often as irrational as the logic of anti-vaxxers, that fossil fuel power plant emissions cause more disease and death than nuclear, and that today’s nuclear plants are pretty safe. It’s a cliché that facts rarely change a person’s firm beliefs, but Visscher is generous with facts, and nuclear power is undergoing a modest revival.

A positive view that may change some minds.