Humanism Now | Secular Ethics, Curiosity and Compassionate Change 63. Powering A Humane Future with Zion Lights
“I changed my mind because I cared about alleviating energy poverty.”
Order now: Energy is Life: Why Environmentalism Went Nuclear, by Zion Lights
Zion Lights is an award-winning science communicator and environmental advocate whose work sits at the intersection of energy, climate, and public understanding of science. In this conversation, Zion shares her journey from prominent renewable-only activism to evidence-led support for a broader clean energy mix, and why energy abundance matters for health, dignity, and human progress.
Connect with Zion
- Website – zionlights.co.uk
- Newsletter –substack.com/@zionlights1
Topics we cover
- How Zion’s views shifted after revisiting the evidence on nuclear risk, safety, and climate mitigation
- Why “clean energy” beats “renewables-only,” and what grid reality means for net zero pathways
- Energy poverty, global fairness, and what reliable power enables for health systems and development
- SMRs, fusion, and what is realistic now versus what is still “next decade” tech
Resources & further reading
- “Could we even ‘just stop oil’?” – The Holyoake Lecture 2023, with Zion Lights (video)
- Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2018)
- Death rates per unit of electricity production – Our World in Data
- What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy? – Our World in Data
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Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.