Why aren't we relying on nuclear power? (with Isabelle Boemeke)

Dec 17, 2025 1h 22m 9 insights Episode Page ↗
Isabelle Boemeke, founder of Save Clean Energy, discusses the critical need for nuclear power to meet growing energy demands, especially with AI, and to combat climate change and air pollution. She debunks myths about nuclear safety and waste, advocating for its role alongside renewables.
Actionable Insights

1. Openly Support Nuclear Energy

Publicly express your support for nuclear energy to help normalize its acceptance and build broader public support, as collective open endorsement can give social license to others.

2. Evaluate Full System Energy Costs

When assessing the cost-effectiveness of energy sources, include the full systemic costs of intermittency for renewables (e.g., batteries, overbuilding, transmission lines) to ensure a fair comparison with reliable sources like nuclear.

3. Prioritize Proven Nuclear Designs

While supporting research into advanced nuclear technologies, prioritize the immediate construction and deployment of established reactor designs that are known to work and can be built now, rather than waiting for unproven innovations.

4. Understand Nuclear Waste Realities

Educate yourself on the reality of nuclear waste management, including its safe containment in spent fuel pools and concrete casks, to counter common misconceptions and understand its minimal volume.

5. Contextualize Energy Accident Risks

When considering the risks of nuclear power, compare its safety record and potential for harm against the documented fatalities and health impacts of other energy sources like fossil fuels (4 million annual deaths from air pollution) and hydropower (200,000 deaths from one dam collapse).

6. Reject ‘Break Things’ in Nuclear

When evaluating new nuclear proposals, reject the ‘break things, build fast’ philosophy, prioritizing safety and rigorous regulation over rapid, cost-cutting development, as the consequences of failure in nuclear are catastrophic.

7. Be Patient with Nuclear Progress

Understand that the coming years may bring negative news about new nuclear companies and prototypes, and maintain long-term support despite these expected challenges, as the industry navigates a ’nuclear bubble.’

8. Challenge All-or-Nothing Thinking

Approach discussions on complex topics like energy and environmentalism with a nuanced perspective, avoiding black-and-white thinking that dismisses viable solutions based on ideological purity.

9. Acknowledge Broader Building Challenges

When analyzing the high costs and delays in nuclear construction, acknowledge that this is part of a larger societal issue with building large infrastructure projects efficiently, not solely a problem unique to nuclear.