In February, 2025, World BEYOND War will be holding a weekly discussion each of four weeks of the book Nuclear Is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change with the author M. V. Ramana.
When you register for the club, we'll send you an electronic copy of the book, not to be shared with anyone.
We'll let you know which parts of the book will be discussed each week along with the Zoom details to access the discussions.
When: For one hour on four Wednesdays, February 5, 12, 19, 26 at 01:00 UTC Thursday.
That's Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Honolulu, 5 p.m. in Los Angeles, 7 p.m. in Mexico City, 8 p.m. in New York, and
Thursday at 9 a.m. in Beijing, 10 a.m. in Tokyo, noon in Sydney, and 2 p.m. in Auckland.
Where: Zoom (details to be shared upon registration).
This is a small group series with limited space of up to 18 people.
Sign up to reserve your spot. We look forward to reading and discussing this important book with you!
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About the Book:
Proponents of nuclear energy argue that the technology should be deployed widely to reduce carbon emissions. Nuclear is Not the Solution demonstrates
why this strategy is not only naïve but dangerous. It explains why it
is not feasible to expand nuclear power fast enough to make it relevant
to the climate crisis and why such an expansion would divert resources
away from faster and cheaper solutions. At the same time, any expansion
of nuclear energy will inevitably result in a variety of undesirable
risks and environmental impacts. Further, nuclear energy is deeply
imbricated in creating the conditions for nuclear annihilation.
Expanding nuclear power would leave us in the worst of both worlds.
M.
V. Ramana’s powerful book destroys any illusion that nuclear is our
answer to climate change, untangling technical arguments into simple and
sensible language. Nuclear is Not the Solution also
delves into the political economy of nuclear energy, detailing how
powerful organizations benefit economically from the nuclear energy
business, by socializing the costs and risks associated with the
technology onto the public, while privatizing profits.
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Praise for the Book:
"Ramana presents a devastatingly convincing case against the
dangerous distractions of nuclear energy. a major contribution destined
to change countless minds."
Naomi Klein, author of On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal and Doppelganger: a Trip Into the Mirror World
"You
will not find a more comprehensive and powerful exposition that
effectively demolishes all the different arguments and claims made by
those promoting nuclear energy. Ramana must be applauded for doing a
masterful job."
Achin Vanaik, author of The Rise of Hindu Authoritarianism
"This
book is smart, terrifying, and indispensable. In lucid prose, Ramana
cuts through the hype surrounding gen iv, modular, and other reactor
designs that are squandering billions of dollars. Atomic energy is
costly, dirty, dangerous, and not the solution to anything other than
building bombs and contaminating the earth for millions of years."
Thomas A. Bass author of Return to Fukushima
"Ramana’s
argument is compelling: claims for ‘advanced’ nuclear power plants are
distractions from the safer, more cost-effective, and proven approach of
replacing fossil fuels with renewables."
Frank N. Von Hippel, co-author of Unmaking The Bomb
"With
great care and clarity, Ramana confirms that as urgent as it is to
change how we produce and use electricity to address the climate crisis,
it’s equally urgent that we do not look to nuclear energy to do so."
Ray Acheson, author of Abolishing State Violence and Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy
"Detailed
case studies demonstrate the practical difficulties involved in
commissioning nuclear plants, and Ramana builds a persuasive case that
the costs of nuclear power outweigh the benefits.
Environmentally-conscious readers will have their eyes opened."
Publishers Weekly
"Nuclear
is Not the Solution discusses the nuclear industry in a frank and
honest manner. There are no questionable claims about nuclear energy or
fantastic excuses made for the industry’s mistakes and its questionable
premises. The text details the industry’s lies, mistakes and cover-ups,
reminding the reader that they should focus on the historical and
empirical facts, not fanciful advertising and promises."
Ron Jacobs, Counterpunch
"With
a PhD in physics, and a previous book examining why India’s nuclear
programme had not worked and would not work, Ramana is well versed in
not just the moral but the technical and practical arguments against
nuclear. He lays these out in his new work and then looks at what he
originally set out to explore: why, despite the overwhelming evidence
against nuclear, governments and corporations continue to invest in it."
Maya Goodfellow, The Guardian
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About the Author:
M.V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human
Security and Professor at the School of Public Policy and Global
Affairs, at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
He is the author of The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India (Penguin Books, 2012) and co-editor of Prisoners of the Nuclear Dream (Orient Longman, 2003). Ramana is a member of the International Panel
on Fissile Materials, the Canadian Pugwash Group, the International
Nuclear Risk Assessment Group, and the team that produces the annual
World Nuclear Industry Status Report. He is the recipient of a
Guggenheim Fellowship and a Leo Szilard Award from the American
Physical Society.
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