Should America Go Nuclear?

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.

Mentioned in this episode:

• “Why Nuclear Power Must Be Part of the Energy Solution,” by Richard Rhodes in Yale Environment 360.
• “I oversaw the U.S. nuclear power industry. Now I think it should be banned,” by Gregory Jaczko in The Washington Post
• The TV mini-series “Chernobyl,” a depiction of the 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
• “America Could Use a Liberal Party,” by Bret Stephens

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You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of "The Argument" at nytimes.com/the-argument, and you can find Jane on Twitter @janecoaston.

“The Argument” is produced by Phoebe Lett, Elisa Gutierrez and Vishakha Darbha and edited by Alison Bruzek and Paula Szuchman; fact-checking by Kate Sinclair; music and sound design by Isaac Jones.

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