Perpetual uncertainty

I have just accepted an invitation to give a talk on nuclear energy and climate in connection with the exhibition Perpetual Uncertainty. Fortunately, the event is not until 26 March next year, so I still have time to figure out the best way of defusing this delicate topic.

As convinced as I have become of the ecological benefits of nuclear power, I have no difficulty understanding the psychological and social obstacles it faces. More than any other energy source, nuclear technology activates our deepest existential fears, even as it holds out the promise of a remade world in which all people can live prosperous lives without endangering the environment.

For those of us in the affluent world, it is of course possible to continue treating chronic poverty abroad as an implicit solution to the climate crisis while downing another flat white. But such hypocrisy comes at a high moral cost.