Is Nuclear Power Green?

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, History of Science, Nature of Science

Ed Hessler 

I'd been hoping that theoretical physicist and freelance popular science writer, Sabine Hossenfelder would comment on nuclear power. 

She has and covers considerable energy territory, especially renewables. Her real question is whether nuclear power is green. I appreciate how she initiates her remarks especially on how she has organized her comments.

"A lot of people have asked me to do a video about nuclear power. But that turned out to be really difficult. You won’t be surprised to hear that opinions about nuclear power are extremely polarized and every source seems to have an agenda to push. Will nuclear power help us save the environment and ourselves, or is it too dangerous and too expensive? Do thorium reactors or the small modular ones change the outlook? Is nuclear power green? That’s what we’ll talk about today.

"I want to do this video a little differently so you know where I’m coming from. I’ll first tell you what I thought about nuclear power before I began working on this video. Then we’ll look at the numbers, and in the end, I’ll tell you if I’ve changed my mind." (emphasis mine)

As usual it may be viewed and read on her blog, BackReaction and also on YouTube (22m 46s). This is long, I know but hey the territory deserves and requires it. I always find the transcripts illuminating although I can read them more quickly than listening to them  but I find the transcripts are immensely useful.