Going Nuclear

Published last year in Great Britain, The Revenge of Gaia has already had a significant impact on the energy debate there. It apparently played a part in Prime Minister Tony Blair's recent endorsement of nuclear power before the G-8 Summit. (As soon as Blair announced his support for nuclear, the British Conservative party stupidly announced it would have to be against it.) As the nuclear option becomes more of a reality in this country, a fierce debate over its acceptability has already emerged in the environmental community. As more than a dozen utilities prepare to submit proposals for new reactors to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Lovelock's book could play a similar role here.

William Tucker is the author of a forthcoming book on the revival of nuclear power.