Emmet Penney and the Nuclear Barbarians

I am joined by returning guest Emmet Penney to discuss his new
project, Nuclear Barbarians. The project is Emmet’s own brand of
nuclear advocacy, differing starkly from most of the pro-nuclear
movement, which he believes has been “captured by an environmental
movement that hates it.” Emmet has set out on his own terms to
convince a wide audience that nuclear power rules. Emmet offers a
harsh critique of the environmental movement, tracing it from what
he argues are its elite Victorian origins to the 1960s and later.
In this broad conversation, we reflect on some prominent
environmentalists, and search for a more nuanced vocabulary with
which to understand environmentalism. Finally, Emmet laments not
only the loss of manufacturing in the US, but disconnect and even
resentment shown by elites to the work class. He argues that
environmentalism today, as in the 60s, is an activity largely
reserved for these elites that demonstrates a fairly open disdain
for the working class. We discuss the importance of connecting with
and valuing labour, particularly as we seek to decarbonize without
jeopardizing our energy supply. Emmet Penney is a writer, the
co-host of the Ex.Haust podcast, and the founder and host of
Nuclear Barbarians. https://nuclearbarians.substack.com Warning:
this episode contains strong language.