4. Zion Lights on nuclear energy, technology, and climate change

Challenging Climate

Zion Lights is an environmental activist and author. She founded Emergency Reactor, which calls for greater use of nuclear power, alongside renewables, in order to help eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Her books include "The Ultimate Guide to Green Parenting" and "Only a Moment." She was previously spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. We discuss her transition from Extinction Rebellion to nuclear advocate, nuclear energy's roles in reducing emissions, its challenges to expansion, the politics of nuclear energy, ecomodernism, and the dark side of environmentalism.
Links:

• Personal website: https://www.zionlights.co.uk/
• Emergency Reactor: https://www.emergencyreactor.org/
• electricityMap: https://electricitymap.org/
• Our World in Data on nuclear energy and its emissions and safety: https://ourworldindata.org/nuclear-energy#modern-renewables-and-nuclear-energy-are-not-only-safer-but-also-cleaner-than-fossil-fuels
• Hans Rosling on development: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo
• Lights's appearance with Andrew Neil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3kJwQBZOkM
• Extinction Rebellion statement on Lights: https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2020/09/16/statement-on-zion-lights-michael-shellenberger-and-the-breakthrough-institute/

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Chapters

1. 4. Zion Lights on nuclear energy, technology, and climate change (00:00:00)

2. her background (00:02:33)

3. Parenting (00:05:35)

4. From Extinction Rebellion to nuclear advocate (00:07:36)

5. Nuclear power to reduce emissions (00:10:41)

6. Challenges to expanding nuclear power (00:17:54)

7. Politics of nuclear power (00:29:04)

8. Ecomodernism and dark environmentalism (00:35:29)

9. Hope and optimism (00:48:31)