Matthew Nisbet writes a short history of the framing wars around nuclear power.
He predicts, "the more time passes with no new focusing events related to the dangers of nuclear energy, and as the perceived urgency of energy independence and global warming increases, public support in the aggregate is also likely to increase, as recent poll trends suggest."
Happily, he also says …
… if and when the decision is made to build a new nuclear power plant in a specific area, mobilized minorities of local citizens will prove decisive. Who shows up to protest, vote, or speak out at the local level will have a stronger impact on the future of nuclear energy in the U.S. than the current struggle to shape national opinion.
Got that?
(I should say, I sometimes find these frame discussions maddening, as they by definition exclude any discussion of the merits of various positions, or any discussion of why certain frames have become common, what power relations are at play. But still, it’s worth reading.)
