“I changed my mind because I cared about alleviating energy poverty.”

Order now: Energy is Life: Why Environmentalism Went Nuclear, by Zion Lights

• Amazon
• Guardian Bookshop
• Natural History Book Service

Zion Lights is an award-winning science communicator and environmental advocate whose work sits at the intersection of energy, climate, and public understanding of science. In this conversation, Zion shares her journey from prominent renewable-only activism to evidence-led support for a broader clean energy mix, and why energy abundance matters for health, dignity, and human progress.

Connect with Zion

• Website – zionlights.co.uk
• Newsletter –substack.com/@zionlights1

Topics we cover

• How Zion’s views shifted after revisiting the evidence on nuclear risk, safety, and climate mitigation
• Why “clean energy” beats “renewables-only,” and what grid reality means for net zero pathways
• Energy poverty, global fairness, and what reliable power enables for health systems and development
• SMRs, fusion, and what is realistic now versus what is still “next decade” tech

Resources & further reading

• “Could we even ‘just stop oil’?” – The Holyoake Lecture 2023, with Zion Lights (video)
• Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2018)
• Death rates per unit of electricity production – Our World in Data
• What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy? – Our World in Data

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Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.