Governments, industries, and publics have shown increasing interest in advanced nuclear energy technologies as central to solving the world’s energy and climate crisis. However, the potential expansion of the global nuclear industry introduces—and in some cases reinforces—problems that technological solutions alone will not be able to fix. Our new research shows that the widespread adoption of advanced nuclear reactors is likely to entrench global disparities, privilege markets over the public good, overlook local and Indigenous knowledge, intensify environmental injustices, and abandon promises of local development and empowerment. Building on these insights, we provide policy guidance to maximize the potential benefits and minimize the likely harms of adopting these new nuclear energy technologies.

Join us for a live conversation with the authors—Nora Lewis, Txai Sibley, Nicholas Stubblefield, Michael Redmond, Molly Kleinman, Shobita Parthasarathy, and Denia Djokić—to discuss research findings, as well as policy recommendations for the governance of SMRs and the uranium supply chain.