Nuclear Energy: Recap of September 2022 Discussion

How much time do we have left to reverse climate change? Some say nine years, some say seven, and others say we've already passed the point of no return. Just as controversial is the topic of nuclear energy, an energy source which emits no greenhouse gas emissions, yet may pose radiotoxic risk to public health. Will nuclear energy be the technology that revolutionizes clean energy or that diverts funds from more promising renewable sources such as solar or wind power?

A curriculum is created for each discussion, which includes articles to distribute to the residents beforehand, a lesson to introduce the topic at the start of the discussion, and discussion questions to facilitate resident participation and engagement. Linked to this post is the complete discussion outline for our September 28th discussion on nuclear energy at the North Hill Retirement Community. Below are excerpts from the document, including the list of articles distributed to the residents prior to the discussion and a list of some of the questions we discussed together.

Articles for distribution in advance to residents:

Europe Revisits Nuclear Power as Climate Deadlines Loom

The Burden of Nuclear Waste

U.S. Department of Energy rushes to build advanced new nuclear reactors

Landmark Climate Bill Could Help Boost Struggling Nuclear Plants—Here’s Why

Discussion questions:

1. We talked about how nuclear reactors don’t pose health danger to the public when all steps are managed correctly, yet we know that we can’t expect everything to always go right. How does this knowledge factor into our decisions to implement nuclear energy?

2. What impact does the Ukraine crisis have on the public’s perception on nuclear power, and should it change the way we think about nuclear power implementation?

3. Does building nuclear energy plants in developing countries pose the threat of them harnessing uranium or plutonium for nuclear weapons? Should this worry us, or do the benefits of nuclear energy outweigh this danger?

4. How do we educate the public about complicated issues such as nuclear energy? It's a topic where the specific details matter and one that triggers fear, but public policy and decisions around energy use have enormous implications for society and the planet.

5. What percentage of our power production should be from nuclear energy? What role do we envision nuclear energy holding within our society? We could:

   1. Give up nuclear energy and temporarily accept higher emissions

   2. Extend the lifespan of current nuclear reactors while solving the shortcomings of renewables

   3. Invest in new nuclear technologies to get newer and safer reactors

Refer to our "resources" page to find relevant books, videos, documentaries, and more related to this topic!

Full discussion outline document:

Nuclear Energy Discussion.odt

Download ODT • 35KB