Author: THE KERNEL & Gayatri Karnik Event before the Nuclear Energy Summit by the Belgian Prime Minister’s Office, Brussels, 20th of March 2024. The event was an informal conversation between IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and Belgium Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten on the eve of the first […]
The First Nuclear Energy Summit, Brussels 2024 Read More »
From Earth is a Nuclear Planet by Mike Conley (Author), Tim Maloney Ph. D. (Author), Stephen A. Boyd Ph. D. (Scientific Editor) Author: THE KERNEL Listen to the audiobook here. Nuclear power’s primary mission is to ensure a reliable and sustainable supply of clean energy for the nation and the world by replacing fossil fuel with the
Chapter 5: “Waste Not, Want Not.” – Benjamin Franklin, electricity pioneer Read More »
From Earth is a Nuclear Planet by Mike Conley (Author), Tim Maloney Ph. D. (Author), Stephen A. Boyd Ph. D. (Scientific Editor) Author: THE KERNEL Listen to the audiobook version here! Some environmentalists have such a pronounced distaste for nuclear energy that they categorically dismiss the subject without further discussion. This is unhelpful to say the least,
Chapter 4: A Fate Worse than Global Warming Read More »
From Earth is a Nuclear Planet by Mike Conley (Author), Tim Maloney Ph. D. (Author), Stephen A. Boyd Ph. D. (Scientific Editor) Author: THE KERNEL Listen to the audiobook version here! You’ve probably heard of radioactive half-lives, which can be anywhere from a nanosecond to several billion years. The half-life of a radioactive material has elapsed when
Chapter 3: A Half-life Well Lived Read More »
Author: Madison Schroder For the first time in U.S. history, a closed nuclear power plant is coming back to life! Palisades Nuclear Power Plant will receive a $1.5 billion loan from the Department of Energy to be brought back online. Never heard of Palisades? Here is a brief history of this iconic power plant for context. In 1966,
Palisades- The Nuclear Comeback Kid Read More »
From Earth is a Nuclear Planet by Mike Conley (Author), Tim Maloney Ph. D. (Author), Stephen A. Boyd Ph. D. (Scientific Editor) Author: THE KERNEL Listen to chapter 2 as an audiobook here! (Heads up: This chapter is a deep dive into the basics of radiation. You can skip it, skim it, or refer to it later,
Chapter 2: Zoomies! We’re Doomed! Read More »
From Earth is a Nuclear Planet by Mike Conley (Author), Tim Maloney Ph. D. (Author), Stephen A. Boyd Ph. D. (Scientific Editor) Author: THE KERNEL Listen to the audio version HERE. “The only thing we have to gear is fear itself”– Franklin D. Roosevelt We all know the feeling—that clutch of anxiety when board ing a
Chapter 1: The Only Thing We Have to Fear Read More »
Author: Madison Schroder Eleven U.S. states across the country have adopted aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets and pledged to combat climate change. But there’s a catch — these same states also have longstanding “nuclear moratoriums” that ban the expansion of nuclear power, one of the biggest sources of low-carbon electricity available. These bans originated decades ago
A Nuclear Paradox: 11 States With Climate Goals But No Nuclear Plans Read More »
Author: Mary Kloser Taylor Swift is undeniably a jet-setter, frequently crisscrossing the world by plane for concerts, events, and appearances. Her busy travel schedule might have some wondering about regular radiation exposure from all of those flights. But Swift clearly isn’t concerned — she continues logging an incredible amount of flight miles year after year. Let’s
Taylor Swift Racks Up 6,800X More Flight Radiation Than Nuclear Plant Neighbors Read More »
Author: Kiersten Sundell Taylor Swift has been getting slammed in the media for emitting over 8 thousand tons of carbon in the year 2022, which is more than any other celebrity in the world and 1,100 times more than the average person. It’s well known, however, that she buys double the carbon credits for what she
Carbon Credits: Pollution Loopholes or Environmental Win? Read More »
Author: Kiersten Sundell Costa Rica, like many tropical nations, follows a familiar annual pattern: half of the year is dry, and the other half is rainy. But with climate change rapidly accelerating as the years march on, the Costa Rican dry season has gotten longer and drier, posing a lethal threat to the country’s main energy source.
Hydro Havoc: Costa Rica’s Climate Conundrum Read More »
Author: Kiersten Sundell If you can’t prove that something is undoubtedly safe, it’s dangerous. Well that’s what the precautionary principle says, anyway. It’s not necessarily a sound argument, or even one that makes any sense at all. Living your life by the precautionary principle would be like wearing a helmet everywhere you go, because there’s a
Playing Safe or Playing Scared? The Precautionary Principle in Nuclear Power Read More »
Author: Kiersten Sundell Happy Valentine’s Day to all nuclear lovers! Three years ago today, Texas was hit with a less-than-lovely winter storm that devastated the power grid, left over 4 million without electricity, and resulted in hundreds of lives lost. This was one of the worst power grid failures in recent U.S. history — but what
The Valentine’s Day Grid Massacre: How Texas’ Power Failed Its People Read More »
Author: Kiersten Sundell How did cat litter cause a 500-million-dollar nuclear waste disaster? Let’s dive right in. Back in February 2014, a drum of nuclear waste burst open inside the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP), a nuclear waste facility that’s a half mile underground in the New Mexico desert. This facility isn’t for waste from the
The Half-Billion Dollar Cat-tastrophe Read More »
Author: Madison Schroder Another country is hopping on the new nuclear bandwagon, and honestly, I’m not too surprised. Sweden’s low-carbon grid has been a model for other European countries for decades. As of 2022, Sweden’s electricity sector is about 90% decarbonized, with the majority of their energy coming from a mix of nuclear and hydro. Wind makes up
Gen A Everyday: Sweden’s Nuclear Announcement Read More »
Author: Madison Schroder Over the past few years, Generation Atomic and our dedicated supporters have tirelessly advocated for nuclear energy through campaigns targeting various policies at the federal, state, and even international levels. These actions represent only a fraction of the collective effort our community has made to accurately communicate the benefits of nuclear power,
Generation Atomic Past Advocacy Actions Read More »
Author: Kiersten Sundell Have you ever heard of the linear no-threshold model for measuring radiation exposure? In essence, this model posits that every tiny exposure to radiation accumulates, impacting you in the same way that one large exposure would. This is a controversial viewpoint in the scientific world, so let’s quickly dive in. Let’s say that
Gen A Every Day: Linear No Threshold Read More »
Author: Kiersten Sundell As you may well know, the history of uranium mining isn’t all that ethical. Consent-based siting is a relatively new concept, brought on in part by the widespread pollution of indigenous lands across the globe. Thankfully, present-day uranium mining operations adhere to strict engineering standards and robust regulatory protocols, meaning that former unethical
Gen A Every Day: Uranium from Seawater? Read More »
Author: Kiersten Sundell You’ve heard that practice makes perfect, but have you heard that practice also makes faster builds, smoother supply chains, cheaper materials, and experienced regulatory bodies? I’m talking about nuclear plants, of course. Many nuclear opponents say, “if nuclear plants always go over budget and over time, why should we keep trying?” Well, this
Gen A Every Day: Practice makes perfect Read More »
Author: Kiersten Sundell What’s the difference between lifecycle emissions and …. regular emissions? Well, to tell you the truth, there is no zero-carbon energy source in existence. Bombshell. We often use the term “zero-carbon” to describe clean energy sources like nuclear, solar, wind, and hydro, because they don’t emit any carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while
Gen A Every Day: What Are Lifecycle Emissions? Read More »
