Oliver Stone slams environmental movement for blocking nuclear power

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, director Oliver Stone blasted the environmental left's stance on nuclear power as 'wrong' and destructive.

Stone, a left-leaning filmmaker, is at the famous conference to promote his new documentary 'Nuclear Now!,' about the role nuclear power will play in powering the future of the world.

The Oscar-winning director, whose controversial political philosophy has landed him in hot water before for, among other things, praising the likes of Vladimir Putin, is now appealing to the global elite to take up the mantle of nuclear power.

From Davos, Stone hit out at the global progressive climate brigade for 'derail(ing)' the use of nuclear power.

Director Oliver Stone discusses his latest documentary, 'Nuclear Now!,' at the Davos World Economic Forum. The movie promotes the use of nuclear energy as a viable green option

'We had the solution [nuclear power]...and the environmental movement, to be honest, just derailed it,' he told CNBC. 

'I think the environmental movement did a lot of good, a lot of good. [I’m] not knocking it, but in this one major matter, it was wrong. It was wrong,' he added.

'And what they did was so destructive, because by now we would have 10,000 nuclear reactors built around the world and we would have set an example like France set for us, but no one ...followed France, or Sweden for that matter.'

France and Sweden have, for years, been major proponents of nuclear power, which accounts for roughly one-third of the latter's power supply.

In the United States currently, there are 92 nuclear reactors and 53 nuclear power plants that power tens of millions of homes and support local communities. 

Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez is one of the many US progressives who has positioned herself in opposition to nuclear energy. 

The rep's signature piece of legislation - The Green New Deal - does not include any nuclear power and proposes transitioning off nuclear energy 'as soon as possible.' And a documentary featuring AOC pushing for the bill flopped in its opening weekend last month, taking in just $9,667.

Stone is now publicly making the case that nuclear power has been falsely maligned as too dangerous to become an integral part of the energy matrix.

The reality, according to Stone, however, is that nuclear power is abundant, clean and safe. Furthermore, the ongoing climate crisis - that is causing hurricanes to strengthen, fires to rage, and droughts to persist - he says puts the human race in too dire a situation to dismiss the obvious solution that is nuclear.

The documentary, which follows the 2021 releases of several JFK-centric projects directed by Stone, is based on the book 'A Bright Future' by Joshua S. Goldstein and Staffan A. Qvist.

Stone's well-reviewed film asks the public to reconsider nuclear energy, which he believes has been unfairly criticized by the environmental movement over the years

Stone accused the modern environmental movement for getting its views on nuclear energy 'wrong.' Factions of the progressive movement say establishing nuclear energy options will create significant amounts of hazardous waste

Though nuclear power appears to have gripped the hearts and minds of some European nations, other significant activist factions are still hesitant to get on board.

Greenpeace takes the position that nuclear power is 'complex and hugely expensive to build.'

'It also creates huge amounts of hazardous waste,' and claims that 'renewable energy is cheaper and can be installed quickly.'

Though the International Energy Agency takes a difference stance, arguing that 'nuclear power has historically been one of the largest contributors of carbon-free electricity globally.'

'While it faces significant challenges in some countries, it has significant potential to contribute to power sector decarbonization.' 

Investing in nuclear energy is a must, says Stone, as the realities of increasingly severe weather events across the globe have become a plague to humanity

The film argues that middle and upper-middle class virtue signaling environmental efforts, such as driving electric cars and recycling, won't actually make a difference. But the adoption of nuclear power will

Stone's latest film received positive reviews. Critics praised the documentary as 'intensely compelling,' and a 'must-see' movie.

Among other things, the film argues that middle and upper-middle class virtue signaling environmental efforts, such as driving electric cars and recycling, won't actually make a difference. But the adoption of nuclear power will, and so, should be an easy position to get behind.

Despite his aggressively socially-conscious stance this century, Stone's most famous and celebrated works are iconic American films including 'Platoon,' 'Wall Street,' and 'Born on the Fourth of July.'