Red Licorice, Diet Soda, and Nuclear Energy

Earlier this year, Dovetail reported on the growing interest in nuclear energy, including small modular reactors (SMRs). As covered in the report, at least 25 countries, including the U.S. and Canada, are actively engaged in the policy, finance, and infrastructure pathways that are needed to enable expansion of nuclear energy.

One of the selling points of nuclear energy in 2026 is that it is “carbon free” - meaning that at the point where energy is produced, there are no carbon dioxide emissions (fossil fuel use and other sources of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with the full life cycle of nuclear energy from raw material extraction, operation, storage, etc.). Another selling point is the statement that “80% of IPCC scenarios that keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius include expanded use of nuclear energy.” In other words, if you care about climate change and/or appreciate the rigor of the analysis prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), then you are on team-nuclear. But is it that simple and what does it have to do with red licorice and diet soda?