I consider myself to be an environmentalist and have been for most of my adult life, especially since reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson in the 1960s. I believe that we humans have a responsibility to be good stewards of the earth and to assure that it can support not only human life but also the wide diversity of life that has evolved on earth. We are making big impacts on the earth, and we need to take measures to mitigate those effects. For many environmentalists, nuclear power is considered too dangerous to be used, yet there is no evidence for this. It is hard for me to see how environmentalists can protest against nuclear power while also recognizing that global warming is a huge, looming problem.

I and other pro-nuclear environmentalists find ourselves in an interesting conun­drum. Many of my fellow liberal environmental activists are opposed to nuclear power, while many conservatives who are staunch deniers of global warming are supportive of nuclear power. Truly this is an area where both liberals and conserva­tives could come together. Suppose we liberal environmentalists are wrong about global warming being caused by human influences. Would it really be such a bad thing for you conservatives if we actually reduced emissions of carbon dioxide by having nuclear power and renewable sources of energy? More jobs will likely be created in these industries than those that will be lost in the coal industry. If we are right, then we have taken action to prevent serious harm to the earth’s ecosystems and to human populations. And to environmentalists, look at the environmental cost of depending for so long on coal and measure that against the actual hazards from the very few nuclear accidents that have occurred. Even in the worst acci­dent—Chernobyl—the effects were very localized, but the atmospheric effects of burning coal are worldwide. Wind and solar energy are not going to substantially reduce the use of coal—that is the unfortunate truth. Is nuclear power really as bad as coal? Choices must be made, and every choice entails some risk. If you continue to oppose nuclear power, coal will still be providing most of the world’s electricity 50 years from now and the earth will be on a path to catastrophic warming.

The choice is up to us. I believe the best choice is to go back to the future and halt global warming by replacing most fossil fuel electrical generation with nuclear power, supplemented with wind power. I hope we have the wisdom to take that path.