Purpose
- Investigates the causes of economic imbalances.
- Investigates the effect of the global financial system and/or the monetary system in fostering a sustainable economy.
- Investigates causes tending to destroy or impair the free-market system.
- Explores and develops market-based solutions.
Summary
Save the climate and environment by saving nuclear power through public education and movement-building
Diablo Canyon Power Plant, 2009 photo from offshore by "Mike" Michael L. Baird. The light beige domes are the containment structures for Unit 1 and 2 reactors. Diablo Canyon supplies, reliable, clean electricity sufficient to power 3 million homes in California, but is currently scheduled for closure when the plant's operating licenses expire in 2024 and 2025.
Description
Stand Up For Nuclear:
EP led the effort to organize a day of global support for nuclear power. On October 20th, 32 Stand Up for Nuclear events took place in 19 countries on six continents.
Stand Up for Nuclear has been instrumental in growing a grassroots network of pro-nuclear people who are capable of meeting with policymakers, generating media attention, and organizing support for existing and new nuclear plants.
Research and Analysis:
We’ve maintained and updated our key database on nuclear plants around the world in operation, under construction, closed, and in various stages of planning. New for this year, we’ve developed our analysis of how planned reactors suggest that a small number of state-backed entities building traditional large light water reactors will attain future dominance of the global nuclear enterprise.
We’ve also updated our analysis of the increasing costs of electricity in states and countries implementing aggressive new clean energy policies in order to inform the discussion about the risks of shutting nuclear and excluding it from the future energy supply.
Our research has expanded into the expected impacts on food and biomes of various climate change scenarios. We did this to better understand the limits of what can be done merely through energy system change and also to understand how groups that traditional opponents of nuclear energy use and abuse of claims about food, agriculture, and fires.
Lastly, we are preparing to publish a report on the environmental impacts of renewable energy. There is strong evidence that industrial wind energy is causing significant harm to several vulnerable, high-value, and endangered species in the United States, and yet many scientists, policymakers, and informed members of the public are unaware or dismissive of the technology’s environmental impacts.
This report unpacks the concept of energy density to explain the outsized impact of industrial wind energy, and other renewable fuels, on wildlife and landscapes.
Media and Advocacy:
Since EP’s foundation in 2016, our strategy has been to make interventions in the public discourse rather than focus on elite policymakers. Our theory of change suggests that politics and media are downstream of culture and public opinion, and that changes upstream have cascading effects.
This funding year has been continued to reaffirm our forward-thinking theory of change. 2019 was the organization’s best year of media coverage to-date, with profiles in Le Point, De Telegraaf, and The Australian to name a few.
EP’s work also resulted in some new breakthroughs in public policy. California Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham introduced a bill aimed at keeping Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant open. Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s office has also reached out to discuss what a “Green Nuclear Deal” could look like for the U.S.
Aerial photo of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant by Doc Searls from Santa Barbara, in Wikipedia.
Purpose
EP’s nation and state work involves analyzing the economic implications of legislated and proposed energy policies. State-side, EP continues to report on energy subsidies and investigate the causes tending to destroy or impair free-enterprise.
EP researches energy transitions and their social and economic implications for U.S. states and other nations. This research helps investigate the greater economic imbalances in relation to climate change, energy security and other environmental matters.
EP looks at the role that the World Bank, national ex-im banks, and other financial institutions play in shaping the global energy mix and their potential to promote clean energy development and thus a sustainable economy.
EP explores and develops market-based solutions to maintaining and expanding clean energy. EP has helped states save their nuclear power plants by helping pass legislation that adequately values carbon-free electricity.
Scope
We work around the world, as we fundamentally believe we won't succeed in saving our local nuclear plant at Diablo Canyon unless we try to save nuclear around the world.
We won't secure America's ability to rebuild its nuclear industry until we secure a future for our current plants, and we must learn from the best methods and teams around the world just as we once taught the world how to deploy nuclear power for security and prosperity.
We won't save the climate in the U.S. without progress everywhere, and we won't secure our economic future without general prosperity creating markets for our goods and services and ideas.
We reach the world on global social networks and change communities with local demonstrations sensitive to the needs and concerns of individuals. We talk to thousands of people at a time, when invited, and also work one-on-one with sources and critical allies. Our scale changes flexibly as required, while our scope embraces everyone.
Information Dissemination
Much of the research EP has conducted over the past four years will be published in Michael Shellenberger's forthcoming book "Apocalypse Never".
The results of the organization's deep dive into the wildlife impacts of renewables will be released in a report (timing TBD given COVID constraints) and promoted with a press conference.
We continue to use Michael's column in Forbes to disseminate updated energy analyses, but have also been authoring and co-authoring op-eds for high-profile news outlets including the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Amounts Approved$30,000.00
on 7/1/2019
(Check sent: 7/12/2019)
$10,000.00
on 7/31/2019
(Check sent: 8/12/2019)
