By Jeff McMahon

Climate change is the one phenomenon that could overcome public opposition and economic obstacles to nuclear power, a former director of Argonne National Laboratory said Friday.

“In principle I don’t think there’s a real obstacle to” building a new fleet of reactors, said Robert Rosner, a theoretical physicist who directed Argonne from 2005-09 and founded its Advanced Reactor Technologies program. ”The obstacle—because there’s money and risk—is the will, and the will isn’t there.

“The only thing that could sway it the other way is… at some point it’s going to penetrate to people that climate change actually is occurring, and there is something going on, and it’s going to be very costly to fix. In some cases it will be impossible to fix.”

Rosner cited a 2015 New Yorker article that describes South Florida’s plight: the land rests on porous limestone that invites the rising sea in from below, undeterred by dams or levees…

Continue reading at Forbes…

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Areas of Focus: Energy Markets
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Energy Markets
Well-functioning markets are essential for providing access to reliable, affordable energy. EPIC research is uncovering the policies, prices and information needed to help energy markets work efficiently.
Electric Power
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Electric Power
As the electric power system faces new pressures and opportunities, EPIC research is working to identify the mix of policies needed to accelerate the global transition to clean, reliable, affordable...
Climate Change
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Climate Change
Climate change is an urgent global challenge. EPIC research is helping to assess its impacts, quantify its costs, and identify an efficient set of policies to reduce emissions and adapt...
Climate Economics
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Climate Economics
Climate change will affect every sector of the economy, both locally and globally. EPIC research is quantifying these effects to help guide policymakers, businesses, and individuals working to mitigate and...