Logic And Nuclear Energy: A Humble Reminder And Extension

In the early summer of 2011 I saw a notice in a Swedish newspaper that the well known nuclear debater, Amory Lovins, has been invited to a large conference sponsored by the Tallberg Foundation. It was to be held at Sigtuna (Sweden), which is located between Stockholm and Uppsala, and comparatively close to my home.

I therefore wrote to the Foundation and suggested that the Dr. Lovins’ invitation should be immediately rescinded (i.e. cancelled), and instead I should be given the honor of presenting a brilliant lecture on the economics of nuclear energy. If that was impossible, I suggested that since Dr. Lovins had once challenged me to an ‘on-line’ debate on this topic, the Sigtuna meeting would provide an excellent opportunity for him to obtain the satisfaction that he desired. Actually, of course, it would have provided me an opportunity to supply both Lovins and the audience with a valuable lesson on economic history, because the adoption of nuclear provided Sweden with some of the least expensive electricity in the world, which in turn had a very positive influence on the rate of economic growth in this country.

My request was blatantly ignored, but when I was asked to present a short course on energy economics in Spain, I made sure to refer to my forthcoming book ENERGY AND ECONOMIC THEORY (2015), and also to describe an encounter I suffered with the environmental celebrity Jeremy Leggett at the Singapore Energy Week  in 2011. My part in that program was to deliver a short lecture on nuclear energy (which I later published under the title of ‘The Real Nuclear Deal’), and also to participate in a general debate on energy topics.

Quite naturally, I was aware that feelings could run high when nuclear was discussed, or for that matter just mentioned, as I found out several years ago when I gave a lecture on oil at the Ecole Normale Superieure (Paris). On that occasion, my vague reference to the likelihood of nuclear continuing to receive a favourable evaluation in France brought frowns to the faces to dozen or so members of the large audience. But what I did not expect in Singapore was the gratuitous outrage levelled at me by the good Leggett when I informed him that it did not take 10 years to construct a nuclear reactor. I also might have mentioned, en passant,  that he would be doing himself a favour if he adjusted his mental processes so that they at least came up to the level of a course in remedial freshman economics at a secondary school like Boston Public.

His reaction to this advice was to contact Professor (of physics) Kjell Aleklett of Uppsala University, and inform him that I had disgraced that noble institution – an establishment at which I have lectured brilliantly on economics and international finance for about 30 years. There was also some question about my bona–fides, i.e. my professional status, which regrettably  led to my confessing that I am probably the most productive economist in the history of Uppsala University (700+ years): I have had more guest professorships (12) than ANY ECONOMICS TEACHER NOW IN UPPSALA, JUST AS I HAVE ALSO PUBLISHED MORE BOOKS (13) INTERNATIONALLY THAN ANY – OR FOR THAT MATTER ALL – OF THE PRESENT ECONOMICS TEACHERS AND STUDENTS at my university. In addition I have held teaching or research positions in Dakar, Senegal (15 months)), Geneva , Switzerland (3 years), Lisbon, Portugal (1 term), Brisbane, Australia (2 months), and a consulting position in Paris at the Hudson Institute. Please observe what I have said: ANY ECONOMIST IN UPPSALA, OR ALL OF THEM TOGETHER, WHETHER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BOOKS PUBLISHED OR GUEST PROFESSORSHIPS.

I am also a brilliant teacher, and although I warmly remember and constantly brag about being expelled from engineering school (in Chicago) after my first year for poor scholarship, my first university lecture was on mathematical statistics, and my first guest professorship (for 1 year) was in mathematical economics at THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES in Sydney (Australia). A few years later I also taught at Sydney University of Technology for several months.

1. ALBERT EINSTEIN AND AMORY LOVINS

 Two things are eternal, the universe and stupidity, but sometimes I have doubts about the universe.  ? Albert Einstein

Something that Professor Einstein forgot to say however was that when stupidity turned out to be inconvenient or unsightly, it can often be dressed up with lies and/or misunderstandings. With all due respect, consider the following testimony by the energy debaters Amory Lovins and Joseph Romm in the prestigious organ of the (United States) Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Affairs (1992-93):

“…., the Swedish State Power Board found that doubling electric efficiency, switching generators to natural and biomass fuels, and relying upon the cleanest power plants would support  54 percent increase in real GNP from 1987 to 2010 – while  phasing out all nuclear power. Additionally, the heat and  power sector’s carbon dioxide output would fall by nearly $1 billion per year. Sweden is already among the world’s most energy-efficient countries, even though it is cold, cloudy and heavily industrialized. Other countries should be able to do better.