Nuclear Undone is about opening your mind and changing the way you think about nuclear energy. Several prominent environmentalists did just that and are featured in a new documentary, Pandora's Promise, which airs on CNN tomorrow at 9 PM ET/PT. After hands-on research and speaking to real people in the nuclear industry, these environmentalists went from protesting nuclear power plants to advocating for nuclear energy as a "green" energy.
Academy Award-nominated Robert Stone directed Pandora's Promise and hopes that the documentary changes the way that people think about nuclear energy and has them question why they were against it in the first place. Stone has been a life-long environmentalist who was formerly anti-nuclear, like many of those appearing in the film.
Other environmentalists, authors, and journalists featured in this documentary include Gwyneth Cravens, Stewart Brand, Richard Rhodes, Michael Shellenberger, and Mark Lynas. Leonard J. Koch and Charles Till, who spent their careers at Argonne National Laboratory, are featured in the film as nuclear experts.
The documentary begins with vivid scenes from protests of nuclear power plants. The environmentalist cast members then individually take us through their journeys of how and why they changed their minds on nuclear, along with refuting some all-too-common misconceptions. There is also a great emphasis on the potential of fast reactors and the recycling of used fuel. Dynamic visual representations help explain complex technologies.
The most compelling part of the documentary is illustrating how those who actually protested against nuclear energy have come to now speak in favor of it. Admitting you were wrong takes some humility and can even cost you your professional career. Michael Shellenberger, co-founder of The Breakthrough Institute, had always associated nuclear power with disaster, as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl happened when he was young. Stewart Brand was influential in persuading him to reevaluate and reconsider, but it was a slow process. Shellenberger states:
Other environmentalists, authors, and journalists featured in this documentary include Gwyneth Cravens, Stewart Brand, Richard Rhodes, Michael Shellenberger, and Mark Lynas. Leonard J. Koch and Charles Till, who spent their careers at Argonne National Laboratory, are featured in the film as nuclear experts.
The documentary begins with vivid scenes from protests of nuclear power plants. The environmentalist cast members then individually take us through their journeys of how and why they changed their minds on nuclear, along with refuting some all-too-common misconceptions. There is also a great emphasis on the potential of fast reactors and the recycling of used fuel. Dynamic visual representations help explain complex technologies.
The most compelling part of the documentary is illustrating how those who actually protested against nuclear energy have come to now speak in favor of it. Admitting you were wrong takes some humility and can even cost you your professional career. Michael Shellenberger, co-founder of The Breakthrough Institute, had always associated nuclear power with disaster, as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl happened when he was young. Stewart Brand was influential in persuading him to reevaluate and reconsider, but it was a slow process. Shellenberger states:
“The need for nuclear energy didn’t land on me like a blinding insight, but rather kept gnawing at me from my peripheral vision. In the end the main reason I changed my mind was that I lost confidence that solar and wind could, on their own, power the world … the things I associated with nuclear during my childhood were not so much replaced as outnumbered by the positive associations.”
We encourage you to open your mind and challenge what you think you already know about nuclear energy. Watch Pandora's Promise on CNN tomorrow at 9 PM ET/PT and let us know what you think.
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