Marco Visscher

MARCO VISSCHER

The Power of Nuclear

The Rise, Fall and Return
of Our Mightiest Energy Source

‘Highly entertaining’ – New Scientist

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About the book

From the pilot’s seat in the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, to Chernobyl’s exclusion zone and to the site in Finland where highly radioactive waste will be buried, this is the incredible story of nuclear power.

Providing a vivid account of the characters and events that have shaped the world’s most controversial energy source and our thinking around it, The Power of Nuclear weaves politics, culture and technology, to explore nuclear power’s past and future. 

In his quest to disentangle myth from facts, Marco Visscher asks: How dangerous is radiation? What should you do after a nuclear accident? Have nuclear weapons really made the world less safe? And why do some still reject the evidence showing the atom can provide unlimited clean energy, free countries of their dependence on fossil fuels and combat climate change? 

This is an informed look at what we might do with nuclear power – and what nuclear power is doing to us.

‘A timely intervention into the debate over how to free countries of their dependence on fossil fuels.’ – Alexander Kaufman, HuffPost
‘Through lively reporting and moving stories, Visscher pulls back the curtain on our most taboo way of producing energy. A must-read.’ – Michael Shellenberger, bestselling author
‘Marco Visscher engagingly and effectively shows us how we should think about the greatest challenge of this century.’ – Steven Pinker, cognitive scientist, Harvard University
‘Whether you like nuclear energy or not you will find plenty in this extraordinary book that will surprise you, and make you think.’ – Rauli Partanen, energy analyst 
‘A lively and even-handed book about the history and future of nuclear power. Original and gripping.’ – Lucy Jane Santos, expert on the cultural history of radioactivity
‘It reads like a thriller but informs like a textbook. Essential reading.’ – Mark Lynas, climate author 

Marco Visscher is the author of several books on the environment and modernity. As a journalist for the past 25 years, he has written extensively on climate policy and clean technology.

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