Nuclear Energy - Improving Debates with Society Library
One of our first supported donor grants was to assist the Benjamin Franklin Society Library in eliciting expert analysis on the topic of nuclear power, pulling together the best arguments for and against it.
We were confused by the opposing narratives of Germany (and California) shutting down all their nuclear plants, while Germany's neighbor France was keeping all of theirs, and China meanwhile was building more than 120. China, as the largest emitter and builder, had decided that nuclear power was the solution to the climate crisis. Who was right, China or Germany?
Society Library was given a grant to construct a debate map curated by experts and a follow up grant to develop a novel format for displaying and searching the information naturally, as well as later follow up grants for building an AI intake pipeline.
Diablo Canyon is California’s last nuclear power plant. Located near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, the 2,240-megawatt plant began operating in 1985. The plant was slated for closing and a major debate ensued (aided by this grant, and journalists that used the system) which ultimately resulted in its extension. This debate model was used as an investigatory microcosm for investigating the issues surrounding nuclear power. You can check out the prototype artifacts below at SL's website!
Jamie Joyce
