If I were a coal executive I wouldn't worry about a solar and wind revolution (see Germany's
or President Obama putting me out of business. I'd be worried about the shale gas revolution (and I'd hope environmentalists were successful in stopping it). If I were a coal executive, I'd want fear to continue dominating public discussion of nuclear power. I'd want nuclear reactors to remain prohibitively expensive. And I'd want climate hawks to keep chasing green energy pixie dust. If I were a coal executive, I'd root against state-of-the-art nuclear technology. I'd worry if a new documentary that punctured widely held myths and misinformation about nuclear power was taken seriously within the environmental movement. I'd be reassured by the dismissive (talk the hand!) reaction to it by greens and climate hawks. If I were a coal executive, I would not want anyone who worries about climate change to take Mark Lynas seriously when he writes in his new e-book:
With an Apollo Program scale-up of nuclear and other low- carbon power sources we still – just about – have time to avoid the worst of global warming. This will require a lot of burying of hatchets, however. Most importantly, the pro-renewables and pro-nuclear tribes will have to join forces if we are to confront the vested interests which threaten to keep this planet on its current trajectory towards disaster.
If I were a coal executive, I would hope that the climate-concerned community continues to thumb its nose at nuclear power.
