Eric Loewen: Safe(r) Nuclear Energy Within Our Grasp

It is still, and will probably remain, unsteady and uncomfortable turf for me to be standing on, as I find myself squarely on the fence but open to considering advocacy of nuclear energy as a key component of a dramatically revised energy infrastructure, one that appears to be made necessary by dwindling oil supplies and rising concern about the impact of their use.

For the evolution in my personal view on nuclear power from a steadfast "oh, hell no!" to the still-cautious "well, maybe" where I now find myself, I look no further than James Lovelock.

Lovelock brought to the world the Gaia hypothesis in the 1970s as a way of understanding the planet's interrelated atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere as an integrated, self-regulating living entity. In 2004, he astonished many among his key allies and constituents with the dire proclamation that only with the shift toward nuclear energy, and soon, would we have our best hope at addressing an impending climate crisis. Lovelock has always had, and continues to have, his champions and detractors, and with his 2004 statements on nuclear energy, there has been some movement among and between those who count themselves in one camp or the other. But his is an important and significant voice, and one worth listening to.

With that as backdrop, we'll now direct you to a fascinating profile of Eric Loewen written by John Richardson for Esquire. The article's title "Meet the Man Who Could End Global Warming" may seem over the top, but that disbelief could dissipate once you consider what Loewen maintains to be within our reach: an altogether different variety of nuclear power generation called the sodium fast reactor. It reportedly uses as fuel the radioactive materials generated from first generation nuclear plants and weapon production, emits no greenhouse gases, is designed to shut down rather than melt down in a malfunction, and may be implemented through small, scalable facilities capable of mass production and shipment to where current waste storage (i.e. fuel source) facilities are currently located.

Implementation would undoubtedly be challenging on the multiple levels of cost, public concern and political will. But my own personal bias continues to be that Lovelock is a man worth listening to. And from here on, I suspect that Eric Loewen will be a man we'll want to continue to pay attention to as well.

Photo courtesy of Alvinrune, via Wikimedia Commons