Nuclear Reactions: Documenting American Encounters with Nuclear Energy (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classics) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0295999624 ISBN 13: 9780295999623

Publisher: University of Washington Press, 2016

Synopsis

Nuclear Reactions explores the nuclear consensus that emerged in post–World War II America, characterized by widespread support for a diplomatic and military strategy based on nuclear weapons and a vision of economic growth that welcomed nuclear energy both for the generation of electricity and for other peaceful and industrial uses. Unease about the environmental consequences of nuclear energy and weapons development became apparent by the early 1960s and led to the first challenges to that consensus.

The documents in this collection address issues such as the arms race, “mutually assured destruction,” the emergence of ecosystems ecology and the environmental movement, nuclear protests, and climate change. They raise questions about how nuclear energy shaped―and continues to shape―the contours of postwar American life. These questions provide a useful lens through which to understand the social, economic, and environmental tradeoffs embedded within American choices about the use and management of nuclear energy. 

About this title

Review

A concise, well-chosen collection of diverse documents. This intersection of nuclear technology, risk politics, and environmental impacts is timely.

Author: Tom Wellock, historian for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

From the Author

James Feldman is an associate professor of history and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He is the author of A Storied Wilderness: Rewilding the Apostle Islands.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0295999624
• ISBN 13: 9780295999623
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 352
• Editor: Feldman James W.