Decouple

Gerrit Bruhaug, based out of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at Rochester University, joins Decouple to talk about the significance of the recent ignition event at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories.

An IAEA panel discussion at COP27 on how nuclear energy intersects with the lives of individuals and a diverse array of nations including Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, the USA and Sweden.  Moderated by: Mark Nelson, Managing Director, Radiant Energy Group  Panelists: Seth Grae - American Nuclear Society - CEO, Lightbridge Corporation Heba Elkomey - International Youth Nuclear Congress - PhD Candidate at Claremit, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority Amanda Mbhele - Women in Nuclear Young Generation - Nuclear Waste Projects Lead, Nuclear Energy Company of South Africa Alfred Mbayoh - International Youth Nuclear Congress - CEO and Founder LEOTech Sierra Leone Ia Aanstoot - Generation Atomic - Berzelius School, Linkoping, Sweden Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu -International Youth Nuclear Congress - PhD Candidate in Nuclear Physics, Ahmadu Bello University

Noah Rettberg, physics lab technician in training and popular Decouple guest, updates us on Germany's return to fossil fuels and discusses a salient topic in the energy transition debate: that of human factors.

Dr. Simon Michaux, Associate Professor at Geometallurgy at Geological Survey of Finland, discusses the challenges of transitioning to clean energy, including the difficulty of communicating massive numbers, the limitations of wind and solar energy, and the need to decarbonize the mining industry. They also explore unconventional solutions and the importance of resource sharing and planning for a sustainable future.

Mark Nelson, managing director of the Radiant Energy Group, digests COP27, whose location in Egypt leads him to reflect on the incredible structure and longevity of the pyramids and what lessons on energy they harbor for the modern observer. Intro and outro music: Overture (Lawrence of Arabia) by Maurice Jarre, performed by Mark Nelson immediately prior to the interview.

Seth Grae, CEO of Lightbridge Corporation, reflects on the 2022 UN Climate Chance Conference, or COP27, held this year in Egypt. We discuss perceived attitudes between the global wealthy and underdeveloped nations, how nuclear was nearly left out of the language in the final negotiated statement, and how the UAE can make the most of hosting COP28 next year in Dubai.

Mark Nelson, managing director of the Radiant Energy Group, debates Tobias Holle, an activist with Fridays for Future Germany, at the pavilion of the International Atomic Energy Agency at COP27 in Egypt. The question at hand: is nuclear power a climate friend or foe? This event was streamlined live on IAEA social media channels on November 15, 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdAV0kVJFWk

A very special guest, Dr. Robert Gale, a physician and medical researcher who pioneered knowledge on bone marrow transplantation and the molecular biology and immunology of leukemia, shares his first-hand perspective on the radiation impacts of nuclear accidents, LNT, and other radiation-related topics. As a world expert in his field, Dr. Gale was asked in 1986 by Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev to coordinate medical relief efforts for victims immediately after the Chernobyl accident. He has since coordinated medical responses to nuclear accidents in Brazil and Japan. Dr. Gale has published over 1000 scientific articles and more than 20 books, mostly on leukemia (biology and treatment), transplantation (biology, immunology and treatment), cancer immunology and radiation (biological effects and accident response). He has written on medical topics, nuclear energy and weapons and politics of US-Soviet relations in articles for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, USA Today and Wall Street Journal. He has received many awards for his scientific achievements and contributions including the Presidential Award, New York Academy of Science, Scientist of Distinction Award Weizmann Institute of Science, Distinguished Alumni Award from Hobart College and Intra-Science Research Foundation Award. He holds honorary degrees including D.Sc. from Albany Medical College, L.H.D. from Hobart College and D.P.S from MacMurray College.

Kalev Kallemets, CEO of Fermi Energia, joins us once again to discuss the "secret sauce" of successful nuclear construction, and how his company is working to get new reactors built in his homeland of Estonia.

BF Randall, an environmental lawyer who has made a rapid rise on #energytwitter for his detailed threads on mining and energy, explains why we may be pursuing the wrong strategy to decouple human well being from emissions. Namely, by focusing on decarbonizing electricity, we are ignoring and even increasing the 85% of global primary energy that comes from fossil fuels for non-electricity uses. Randall argues that, more than almost anyone appreciates, crude oil heavy distillates are the lifeblood of modern civilization, and the heart that pumps it is the diesel engine. From mining to trucking to trains to marine transportation, the low RPM, high torque diesel engine is indispensable. The dramatic increase in global mining, ore processing, and transportation associated with stated goals for renewable energy would only cement the diesel engine's role as the machine behind the machine. To Randall, the diesel engine is not something we should get rid of but protect as "the most efficient engine ever created by humans." He argues that the low-hanging fruits of decarbonization, and the only option likely to make inroads into the fossil energy black box that makes up 85% of global energy use, are high-temperature nuclear heat and the synthesis of synfuels using non-crude-oil feedstocks to provide the heavy distillates required to sustain the engines of our civilization. Read BF Randall's viral Twitter thread on copper. Consider supporting Decouple on Patreon.