02047cam a22002418i 45000010009000000050017000090080041000260100017000670200018000840400028001020410008001300420008001380500025001461000033001712450107002042600044003113000029003555040051003845201241004356500042016766500038017186500049017562360766620250521134110.0240314s2024    enk      b    001 0 eng    a  2024009756  a9781804290002  aDLCbengerdacDLCdDLC  aeng  apcc00aTK9152.16b.R36 2024  aRamana, M. V.d1966-eauthor10aNuclear is not the solutionb: the folly of atomic power in the age of climate changec/ M. V. Ramana.  aLondon ;aNew York, NY :bVerso,c2024.  aviii, 264 pages ;c22 cm  aIncludes bibliographical references and index.  aTHE CLIMATE CRISIS has propelled nuclear energy back into fashion. Its proponents argue we already have the technology of the future and that it only needs perfection and deployment. Nuclear Is Not the Solution demonstrates why this sort of thinking is not only naïve but dangerous.

Even beyond the horrific implications of meltdown and the intractable problem of waste disposal, nuclear is not practicable on such a large scale. Any appraisal of future energy technology depends on two important parameters: cost and time. Nuclear fails on both counts. It is more costly than its renewable competitors wind and solar. And, importantly given the need for rapid transformation, it is slow. A plant takes a decade to come online. If you include permits and fundraising, this adds another decade. And we should not forget the deep roots it has in the defense industry.

M. V. Ramana’s powerful book destroys any illusion that nuclear is our answer to climage change, untangling technical arguments into simple and sensible language. Importantly, Nuclear Is Not the Solution also unmasks the powerful groups with vested interests in the maintenance of the status quo, currently working hard to greenwash a spectacularly dirty industry. 0aNuclear power plantsxRisk assessment 0aNuclear energyxGovernment policy 0aClimate change mitigationxGovernment policy