Are We Going Nuclear?

摘要

Afterthree decades ofrelative obscurity-the aftermath of a series of mishaps in the 1980s-the nuclear energy industry has come roaring back into the spotlight, eager to save a world frantically seeking a carbon-free alternative to dirty fossil fuels. In the past six months, 17 American utilities have applied to build 21 nuclear power reactors, which would be the first new atomic power facilities in the United States in more than 20 years. Some famous formerrnfoes of the industry, including Greenpeace cofounder Patrick Moore and the Gaia theorist James Lovelock, have unabashedly embraced nuclear power. Even California, which years ago banned the construction of new nuclear facilities, at least until the radioactive waste problem is solved, is talking about moving from No Nukes to Maybe Nukes, regardless of the waste situation. Ready or not, the nuclear renaissance is under way.