Ted Nordhaus, executive director of The Breakthrough Institute, discusses his recent article in Foreign Policy: "Russia's War Is the End of Climate Policy as We Know It." The current energy crisis and Russian invasion are quickly causing us to prioritize energy security over climate targets. Could this, paradoxically, be a good thing for the climate? Nordhaus argues that the carbon intensity of the global energy system fell faster in the 30 years before the first major U.N. climate conference than after it—a result of rising energy efficiency, the spread of nuclear power, and the changing composition of the global economy. With new pressure to fortify ourselves against dependence on gas and energy imports, he argues that climate and energy policies, especially in the West, may shift from subsidizing demand (for things like solar panels and electric vehicles) to deregulating supply (of things like nuclear power plants and high-voltage transmission lines). This could put clean energy policies on a much firmer economic footing and better align climate objectives with energy security imperatives. Read the Foreign Policy article here: https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/06/05/climate-policy-ukraine-russia-energy-security-emissions-cold-war-fossil-fuels/ Support Decouple on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/decouple Learn more about Decouple Media: https://www.decouplemedia.org

Mark Nelson, managing director of Radiant Energy Group, breaks down why France, a world leader in CO2 emissions reductions through its historic buildout of large nuclear reactors, has become an example of how NOT to manage a nuclear fleet, as mismanagement and unplanned outages threaten its future. Support Decouple on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/decouple Learn more about Decouple Media: https://www.decouplemedia.org

Radiation biologist Chris Thome describes the vexing challenge of creating a zero radiation environment deep in the Earth's crust, and how life responds to a world without radiation.

Douglas Boreham tells us about his latest groundbreaking radiation experiments with NASA and debunks some major misconceptions along the way.

Dan Campbell, a licensed nuclear operator, reflects on losing his job at the coal-fired Nanticoke Generating Station during Ontario's coal phaseout and his subsequent move to the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station. As we discuss the elusive "just transition," Dan shares a unique inside perspective on the possibilities for transitioning fossil fuel workers to new, high-quality jobs; the importance of considering working people when deciding on energy policy; and how it felt taking pride in his work at Nanticoke while learning of the harms that coal causes through air pollution and carbon emissions. ---- Support Decouple on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/decouple Learn more about Decouple Media: https://www.decouplemedia.org

Emmet Penney, creator of Nuclear Barbarians, Grid Brief, and the ex.haust podcast, walks us through the rise, fall, and future prospects of nuclear power in the United States. Emmet dives deep on the historical, regulatory, political, and environmentalist forces behind nuclear energy's decline, with his signature, unapologetic critique of all sides involved. Read the article in American Affairs, Who Killed Nuclear Energy and How to Revive It: https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2022/05/who-killed-nuclear-energy-and-how-to-revive-it/ Catch more of Emmet Penney: Grid Brief: https://www.gridbrief.com/ Nuclear Barbarians: https://nuclearbarians.substack.com/ Ex.haust: https://exhaust.fireside.fm/ --- Support Decouple on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/decouple Learn more about Decouple Media: https://www.decouplemedia.org

Saloni Shah, a food and agriculture analyst at The Breakthrough Institute, dives into the policy disaster that was Sri Lanka's sudden ban on the importation and use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for farming. How did the policy come to be, and how did it go so wrong? Read Saloni Shah's and Ted Nordhaus' article in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/05/sri-lanka-organic-farming-crisis/ Support Decouple Media: https://www.patreon.com/decouple Chapters 0:00 Intro 2:10 Sri Lanka background 5:06 Misconceptions about chemicals 10:50 Organic agriculture consequences 14:12 Who’s responsible 20:06 Importance of the Green Revolution 23:46 How has the government drop in output 27:10 Outlook for Sri Lanka 31:00 Has this changed the views of Organic advocates 33:14 Status quo vs alternatives 37:25 Outro

Michael Edesess, a mathematician, economist, and former chairman of the board of the Rocky Mountain Institute, discusses his recent article for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, "We need to get serious about the renewable energy revolution—by including nuclear power." We discuss changes in energy spurred in the 1970s, Michael's personal acquaintance with the mastermind of the soft energy path, Amory Lovins, and the shortcomings of the all-renewables vision of our energy future. Read the article in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists: https://thebulletin.org/2022/05/we-need-to-get-serious-about-the-renewable-energy-revolution-by-including-nuclear-power/ Listen to Mark Nelson's episode on Amory Lovins' "soft energy path": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5gQPbXaw0g Support Decouple on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/decouple Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:40 Michael Edesess self introduction 4:26 Reflections on Amory Lovins 10:24 Energy pathways before climate concerns. 20:28 The challenges to a 100% solar and wind pathway 31:07 Moonshot analogy 37:34 The Renewables Army

Bret Kugelmass, host of the Titans of Nuclear podcast and Managing Director of the Energy Impact Center, and Dr. Keefer share their experiences hosting popular podcasts about nuclear energy. They reflect on nuclear messaging, how the nuclear sector can rebrand, communications pitfalls, finding the proper audience for advocacy, and the intersection of nuclear, politics, and public opinion. Dr. Keefer dives into his energy advocacy journey and recent work before the highest levels of Canadian government, which represents one of the best-positioned supply chains in the world to meet the nuclear energy needs of emerging economies. This episode was cross-published on Bret's podcast, Titans of Nuclear. Check out Titans of Nuclear: https://www.titansofnuclear.com/ Learn about the Energy Impact Center: https://www.energyimpactcenter.org/ Support Decouple on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/decouple