The man who helped usher in the environmental movement in the 1960s and '70s has been rethinking his positions on cities, nuclear power, genetic modification and geo-engineering. This talk at the US State Department is a foretaste of his major new book, sure to provoke widespread debate.
http://www.ted.com/talks/stewart_brand_proclaims_4_environmental_heresies.html
FYI: Stewart Brand was also kind enough to endorse my book "Rad Decision: A Novel of Nuclear Power." One thing most pro-nuke and anti-nuke folks share is a lack of understanding of the real technology in use. It's not The Simpsons and it's not Star Trek. It's not a death bomb and it's not a perfect energy machine. I've worked in US plants over 20 years and have written a novel aimed at the general reader. It covers the people, politics and technology of this energy source, looking at both the good and the bad. "Rad Decision" is free online, and is also in paperback. See the homepage for reader comments - they seem to like it for both its story and information. I think there are many possibilities for our future, both with and without nuclear power, but I also believe we'll make better decisions about our energy future if we first understand our energy present.
ReplyDelete"I'd like to see Rad Decision widely read." - Stewart Brand
RadDecision.blogspot.com
Now there's a guy who surprised the heck out of me.
ReplyDeleteBrand's also come out opposing an old fave of lefties - bulldozing slums. Apparently he's come to the conclusion that satisfying your own conceits isn't a good enough reason to trap poor people in eternal poverty.
Naturally, lefties are universally reviling Brand because from their point of view the reason poor people exist is precisely so wealthy lefties can exhibit sincere concern for their plight. Poor people are a sort of performance art installation who exist to provide opportunities for lefties to display their compassion and Brand's raining on the lefty's parade.