Dr. Conca reports that the State of Illinois faces a peculiar dilemma in planning its clean energy future ... it is going to lose its most important low-carbon energy source ... nuclear energy. This problem is not lost on the leading climate scientists and environmentalist who are pushing to reduce fossil fuels fast enough to make a dent in global warming. On Monday, a coalition of scientists and conservationists, including famed climate scientist Dr. James Hansen, once anti-nuclear activist turned nuclear proponent Dr. Michael Shellenberger, and Whole Earth catalog founder Stewart Brand, sent an open letter to Illinois legislators asking them to do everything in their power to keep all of the Illinois nuclear power plants running for their full lifetimes. The dilemma stems from the fact that Illinois generates more zero-emissions electricity than any other state. Most of it comes from their six nuclear power plants, whose eleven nuclear reactors produce half of the Illinois electricity, and 90% of its low-carbon electricity. These plants are in their prime and could stay operating for decades. Unfortunately, the State is at risk of losing some of its nuclear plants because all low-carbon energy is not supported in the fight against climate change, only renewables are. This is the issue that most frustrates Dr. Cona and others, like Hansen, who understand both climate change and energy systems. You cannot address global warming without nuclear, hydro and renewables.
Shellenberger recently founded the group Environmental Progress Illinois, an independent organization that is dedicated to protect and grow solar, wind and nuclear energy. Those who are just ideologically opposed to nuclear do not agree (or understand) that nuclear should be in that mix, and they attack anyone who does, even someone like James Hansen who has been the most important advocate for getting climate change into the mainstream. That attack alone should give everyone pause.
Original URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2016/04/07/illinois-nuclear-dilemma/#6d4c8f6d6ae7
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