Podcasts about rest can follow

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 timingChina's advantages over the United States when it comes to creating nuclear power plantsThe strengths and weaknesses of renewable energy sources The GuestsJoshua 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 NotesWhy 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] ResourcesOverview 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.

We are thrilled to be sharing this Special Edition COBT with you. The new film "Nuclear Now" is just a week away from hitting theaters and we had the opportunity to not only see it early but also to visit with the film's acclaimed director, Oliver Stone, as well as Professor Joshua Goldstein, the co-writer of the book that inspired the film ("A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow"). Oliver is an Academy Award-winning director, screenwriter, producer, and author of "Chasing the Light." As you may know, some of his renowned work includes "Scarface," "Platoon," "Born on the 4th of July," "Wall Street," and "Midnight Express." Professor Goldstein is an award-winning scholar of international relations and an expert on war and society. Mike Bradley, Brett Rampal and I had the pleasure of hosting Oliver and Josh, talking about the key aspects of the movie, and delving where we could into the broader issues the movie raises.   In our discussion, Oliver describes how a review of "A Bright Future" in the New York Times sparked his interest in nuclear as part of the solution to address climate change. It took two and a half years to create the film, which covers not only the history of how the technology was developed but also its high and low moments in popular perception. We touch on Oliver's takeaways from studying different aspects of American society and the overall misrepresentation of nuclear power that the film aims to correct. Josh provides background on how nuclear power and nuclear war became conflated, much to nuclear power's detriment. We also discuss Admiral Hyman Rickover and his development of naval nuclear-powered submarines, the Hollywood community's unfortunate portrayal of nuclear that's added to the narrative over the years, and the team's experience finding experts to interview as part of the film. Oliver also shares his perspective on international cooperation around nuclear and both he and Josh comment on the significant amount of fact checking that took place to create the film. “Nuclear Now" is technical in its approach and goes into significant detail around historical, existing, newer and future potential nuclear technology.   Nuclear Now opens to the public on May 1st in select theaters across the US and Canada. The film will also be available via streaming at a later date – you can sign up for updates on that release. If you are interested in more nuclear content, last month Veriten debuted a podcast dedicated entirely to the world of nuclear, power, and industrial heat called Gener8. We hope you can take time to dig in and learn more.   We want to thank Oliver, Josh, and the team behind Nuclear Now for improving the conversation around nuclear energy, for injecting more optimism into the energy/environment/climate discussion, and for spending an hour with us engaging on the film. We hope you all enjoy the film as much as we did!

Podcast: Wade Rathke:Episode: Thorium Reactors and Climate ChangePub date: 2020-03-07Notes from Listening Post:ThoriumNew Orleans       I'm trying to keep an open mind, OK?  I know we're all supposed to hate nuclear energy and be scared of total disasters, right?  There's Three-Mile Island in Pennsylvania.  I've read the books and seen the series on HBO about Chernobyl.  I've personally visited Japan to see Fukushima and the area evacuated.  I'm skeptical, as most of us have become, but I've had to take a second look. First, a friend sent me a book, A Bright Future:  How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow by Joshua S. Goldstein and Staffan A. Qvist.  They were a little too cute and gung-ho for my taste, but their argument, presented exhaustively, was that if we really wanted to get serious about climate change, we had to reconsider nuclear energy.  There is little argument that it is cleaner, but they argue that it is also safer.  Despite the concerns triggered by these earlier accidents and near disasters, they argued that there was little loss of life and compared to the impact of coal-fired plants, it was infinitesimally small. They mentioned a technology that was tried years ago in Oak Ridge involving thorium, rather than uranium, that was rejected then, but might even be superior to what we were doing now.  I ended up talked to the acting CEO of ThorCon on Wade's World named Lars Jorgenson, who made a similar case from several other angles. Thorium is found in abundance in Australia, the United States, and Canada, but also in India, Venezuela and other countries.  It produces less radiation than uranium, and because of the process of producing energy the cooling mechanism is radically different using a salt solution that means leaks are basically water and the storage of any spent fuels is much simpler and easier than the endless process for used rods. ThorCon is one of about fifty companies according to Jorgenson that are trying to bring thorium powered nuclear plants to market. ThorCon's pitch is directed at developing countries based on their rising energy demands and their slimmer budgets.  The company relies on a design that can be fabricated at a shipyard in South Korea for about $100 million and then shipped and installed for another $100 million or so. It's not a small operation, but compared to our experience with the giant cooling towers in current nuclear power plants, it has a smaller footprint in addition to a smaller price tag.  ThorCon seems close to convincing the government in Indonesia to allow it to build a plant, and India seems like a huge prize. Does this make sense?  Don't take my word, I'm no expert here, but given where we are on global warming, it's hard to write off all of these arguments without giving it another try. The post Thorium Reactors and Climate Change appeared first on Wade Rathke: Chief Organizer Blog.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Wade Rathke:, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.

Green Power Nuclear energy offers large amounts of power, produces no carbon dioxide, uses a comparatively small amount of land, and runs around the clock. Although nuclear power produces hazardous waste, the amount of material and risk to civilians is small. The risk is hugely outweighed by the risk posed by climate change. According to Goldstein, nuclear power represents the best source of carbon-free energy available to us as we transition from fossil fuels. In the span of one decade, Sweden cut its emissions in half while also growing its economy, thanks to a large-scale nuclear program. Nuclear Waste or Air Pollution? Air pollution kills millions of people world-wide every year because of the particulate matter that coal-powered plants emit freely into the atmosphere. What people should be afraid of is coal, but what people are afraid of is nuclear power. The fear of radiation is exacerbated by disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima, as well as generational trauma about the potential use of nuclear weapons in the 1950s to the 1970s. Although large amounts of radiation are fatal, we actually live safely with small, naturally occurring amounts every day. The stigma against nuclear power caused Germany to shutter its plants in favor of solar and wind. They replaced one green fuel source with another instead of replacing coal with a green fuel. Unfortunately, because Germany’s renewables are not meeting demands for electricity, they are now burning more fossil fuels to fulfill that need. Small Modular Reactors Instead of giant nuclear plants, which can take decades to build, the future lies in small modular reactors. These new, pre-fabricated, transportable, and scalable reactors are in current development by the US and China. They are projected to be operational in the middle of the coming decade. These smaller reactors can be mass-produced and distributed to high-need areas. In addition, small modular reactors carry less stigma because of their size. The Chinese model can sit on a barge, be towed to a location, and immediately begin producing power. Find out more: Joshua Goldstein is professor emeritus of international relations at American University and a research scholar at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He researches, writes, and speaks about global trends including war and society, economic forces, and world energy trends and climate change. Goldstein co-authored A Bright Future, How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow. You can follow him on Twitter @GoldsteinJoshua.

I’m always interested in what the US can learn from other countries. So I was immediately attracted to JOSHUA GOLDSTEIN’s new book A BRIGHT FUTURE: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow. When Goldstein (and co-author Staffan Qvist) did the research and the math on what it was going to take to reduce carbon emissions enough to avoid the worst of climate change, they concluded that rapid development of renewables would need a large and fast buildout of nuclear power to replace fossil fuels as backup for wind and solar. You may not agree with them, but I think this conversation is worth a listen.

Joshua Goldstein, a former environmentalist and professor, discusses how he came to understand the potential future of nuclear energy. Domenech and Goldstein discuss renewable energy, the realistic consequences of climate change, and how other countries have utilized clean energy. Goldstein is the co-author of the new book, "A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow."

Our guest, Joshua S Goldstein, has a well researched book called, A BRIGHT FUTURE-How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow.  His book suggests nuclear energy holds the key to stopping man-made global climate destruction. He states it's too big a problem for the incremental and modest advances offered by alternative energy.  The only hope is a commitment to nuclear power across the developing world and the richest, most developed countries. He wrote the book with research and writing partner Staffan A. Qvist, a nuclear engineer.  So, the two have a foundation of credibility as they look to the successes of other nations who are tackling climate and energy issues using nuclear power grids. For more information on Joshua's controversial positions and to engage further, go to brightfuturebook.com To engage further with us on the show: edgewithmarkthompson@gmail.com  

Out guest, Joshua S. Goldstein, has a well-researched book called "A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow." His book suggests that nuclear energy holds the key to stopping man-made global climate destruction. He states it's too big a problem or the incremental and modest advances offered by alternative energy. The only hope is a commitment to nuclear power across the developing world and the richest, most developed countries. He wrote the book with research and writing partner Staffan A. Qvist, a nuclear engineer. So the two have a foundation of credibility as they look to the successes of other nations who are tackling climate and energy issues using nuclear power grids. For more information on Joshua's controversial positions and to engage further, go to brightfuturebook.com To engage further with us on the show: edgewithmarkthompson@gmail.com

Our guest, Joshua S Goldstein, has a well researched book called, A BRIGHT FUTURE-How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow.  His book suggests nuclear energy holds the key to stopping man-made global climate destruction. He states it's too big a problem for the incremental and modest advances offered by alternative energy.  The only hope is a commitment to nuclear power across the developing world and the richest, most developed countries. He wrote the book with research and writing partner Staffan A. Qvist, a nuclear engineer.  So, the two have a foundation of credibility as they look to the successes of other nations who are tackling climate and energy issues using nuclear power grids. For more information on Joshua's controversial positions and to engage further, go to brightfuturebook.com To engage further with us on the show: edgewithmarkthompson@gmail.com  

My guest is Joshua S. Goldstein. His newest book, co-authored with Staffan A. Qvist, is A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow. (https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Future-Countries-Solved-Climate/dp/1541724100/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549482449&sr=8-1&keywords=a+bright+future+joshua+goldstein)As climate change quickly approaches a series of turning points that guarantee disastrous outcomes, a solution is hiding in plain sight. Several countries have already replaced fossil fuels with low-carbon energy sources, and done so rapidly, in one to two decades. By following their methods, we could decarbonize the global economy by midcentury, replacing fossil fuels even while world energy use continues to rise. But so far we have lacked the courage to really try. In this clear-sighted and compelling book, Joshua Goldstein and Staffan Qvist explain how clean energy quickly replaced fossil fuels in such places as Sweden, France, South Korea, and Ontario. Their people enjoyed prosperity and growing energy use in harmony with the natural environment. They didn't do this through personal sacrifice, nor through 100 percent renewables, but by using them in combination with an energy source the Swedes call kärnkraft, hundreds of times safer and cleaner than coal. Special Guest: Joshua S. Goldstein.

"Few books can credibly claim to offer a way to save the world, but this one does." That's the eye-catching first sentence in forward to the new book A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and The Rest Can Follow. The authors, Joshua Goldstein, Professor Emeritus of International Relations at American University, and Staffan Qvist, Energy Engineer, join host Dan Loney to discuss how they believe a combination of nuclear and renewable energy is the path to slow down climate change on Knowledge@Wharton. Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CWQ65FG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Climate change may be nearing a catastrophic tipping point, but it is not too late to work towards a solution. In their new book "A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow" Joshua Goldstein and Staffan Qvist explain how nuclear power combined with renewables can replace fossil fuels, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and head off climate-change disaster. They challenge the left to rethink the idea that nuclear power is too dangerous and challenge the right to face the reality and perils of climate change. In the first live "Leonard Lopate at Large" of the new year, Joshua and Staffan make their case on why nuclear energy could be the last thing standing between us and the earth's destruction.