Zion Lights

I wanted to share my thoughts on this wonderful book from @ziontree. This is a story of transformation, of human fallibility, and how groups of people can convince themselves to unquestioning belief in untruths and ideology. Zion explains how, for instance, as a green activist, she was pressured to oppose the simplest path to addressing the climate challenge: nuclear energy. In fact, even raising questions about the possibility of nuclear supplementing solar and wind was shut down in these forums. No debate, no open forum, only steadfast ideological purity. Nuclear energy should check all the boxes for those concerned about climate change. Nuclear energy is safe, the technology is mature, and it produces affordable, reliable energy with zero carbon emissions. Zion came to realize that for many activists, it was not about the climate at all, but a fundamental belief that humans are bad. That we are pestilence on this planet, and more energy only enables our destruction. Therefore, solar and wind are the only allowable solutions; they cap our capacity through intermittency. Zion also explains how many proposed solutions for humans’ environmental impact don’t actually work, and, counter-intuitively, the best solutions are often more growth, more progress, as this enables humans to do more with less. This is, of course, one of the motivations behind Risk & Progress as well, to spread the word that progress is the best medicine. With progress, we grow more food with less land. We reduce consumption of key commodities and curb emissions of harmful pollutants into the air and water. But all of this requires energy and always will. We must, therefore, avoid allowing ideology to dictate where we get it from. Nuclear power must be an essential part of a 21st-century energy mix. Give this one a read!