The Disagreement26 Mar 2024

3: Nuclear Energy

Today's disagreement is about nuclear energy and how much it should or should not be a part of our energy grid.

We’re working through most of the major arguments for and against nuclear power – such as:

Pragmatic concerns with nuclear energy: specifically, the cost and timing
China’s advantages over the United States when it comes to creating nuclear power plants
The strengths and weaknesses of renewable energy sources

The Guests

Joshua Goldstein is an emeritus professor of International Relations at American University and the co-writer of the documentary Nuclear Now with Oliver Stone. He also co-authored the book A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow.

Stephanie Cooke is a journalist who specializes in reporting on nuclear energy. She has previously served as the editor of Nuclear Intelligence Weekly and is the author of In Mortal Hands: A Cautionary History of the Nuclear Age.

Show Notes

Why nuclear energy? [02:37]
Growing support for nuclear power [07:11]
Reorganizing our energy grid [09:06]
Nuclear as nonpartisan [11:02]
History of nuclear power in the U.S. [11:27]
How China approaches nuclear energy [14:47]
What are the economics of building nuclear power plants? [17:34]
Obstacles for renewables [21:45]
Natural gas as replacement for nuclear [23:24]
Small modular reactors [26:40]
Downsides of wind and solar [24:54]
Is nuclear safe? [30:44]
Dealing with nuclear waste [36:04]
Steelmanning [43:31]
Hiding nuclear weapons production in nuclear energy programs [49:26]

Resources

Overview of what nuclear energy is according to the International Atomic Energy Agency if you need a primer/refresher.

If you have any insights into new possible topics or guests, please reach out to producer Greg Woodward at greg@thedisagreement.com.

Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/

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