Nuclear Split Us Apart. Now, It's Bringing Us Together

Our problems are ultimately moral and spiritual, but the solution to them might be material and physical

Michael Shellenberger at his Berkley home on Thurs. January 28, 2016, in Berkeley, California, Shellenberger is the co-founder of an environmentalist group that is banding together to save the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant from shutting down. (Getty Images)

Dear Friends,

People sometimes ask me why I say so little these days about energy in general and nuclear in particular. I spent a decade reporting upon, researching, and educating the public about the technology. In 2013, I appeared in Robert Stone’s documentary film, “Pandora’s Promise,” about environmentalists who had changed their minds about nuclear power. I debated Ralph Nader on CNN’s “Crossfire” and appeared on “The Colbert Report.” I made multiple TED talks on nuclear and renewables. Thanks to the work of my colleagues and me, we were able to save nuclear plants from closure in Illinois, New York, South Korea, and California. Those efforts, particularly the latter, which most everyone, including pro-nuclear environmentalists, had given up on, took enormous effort, and I paid a heavy price.