Earth's global average temperature in 2021 was the sixth warmest on record, according to two new reports issued this week by U.S. Government agencies. Scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies report that collectively the past eight years were the warmest since modern record keeping began in 1880. The research adds to overwhelming evidence of climate change.
This episode looks at the role played by carbon-free nuclear power in providing one solution to the growing climate crisis. Our guest, British environmental activist and science communicator, Zion Lights, tells us whyt she changed her mind about nuclear safety and reliability. After playing a leading role with Extinction Rebellion UK, Zion left the group and founded Emergency Reactor, which calls on fellow activists to "stop spreading misinformation and fear. Follow the science about nuclear energy."
"People are already worried and scared about climate change. Let's look at solutions," she tells us.
This show is the latest in a series of "How Do We Fix It?" episodes about the need to come up with pragmatic, workable solutions that limit the damage to our warming planet.
Recommendation: Richard has spent part of the past year reading literary classics, including the three books of Dante's "Divine Comedy", Virgil's "The Aeneid", and The Iliad and Odyssey by Homer. "My recommendation is to challenge yourself. This may lead you to change your mind about something that's important to how you see the world," says Richard.
Note: Zion Lights is an amateur astronomer. Her Tedx talk, "Don't Forget to Look Up" is full of curiosity and wonder about stargazing and the universe.