Reporter and writer. I cover energy, climate change and geopolitics. Contact me via my website www.alexanderckaufman.com and subscribe to kaufman.substack.com.

in short: it’s either nuclear or it’s a scam

Not quite! Geothermal is awesome. So is hydro, though it’s complicated in a world with shifting water patterns. Solar and wind can do a lot, especially with batteries, but have more downsides than a lot of the environmental groups would have you think.

Artist-author from France •+• I imagine a network society of the future dedicated to arts, enlightenment and harmony with nature www.solaires.art

It’s expensive to build, has a lot of reputational baggage, produces (relatively tiny amounts of) waste, the US is heavily dependent on uranium fuel imports.

What are the downsides of nuclear energy  ?

It has been for a long time, but it's been limited to places with specific geographies. A new generation of companies is using fracking drilling technology to vastly expand the areas that can use geothermal power.

I wrote about it for the The Atlantic earlier this month:

aspiring everything. architect. building /buildings. icbk.me/huugo.fc

It has been for a long time, but it's been limited to places with specific geographies. A new generation of companies is using fracking drilling technology to vastly expand the areas that can use geothermal power.

I wrote about it for the The Atlantic earlier this month: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2025/04/geothermal-energy-boom/682291/

Didn’t realize geothermal was being used for larger scale energy?

yeah, we also have hot water under the floor too 😅 but we are very idiots to exploit it properly.. and most of the exploitations are natural (with no proper care), turism and ofc, drinking that water is good for health..