The Conversation with Dasha Burns

Will the fusion breakthrough ignite a Congressional chain reaction?


Listen Later

Department of Energy announced a breakthrough in the decades-long quest to recreate on Earth the process that powers the Sun: nuclear fusion. To simplify slightly, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California recently fired a bunch of lasers at a piece of hydrogen. The lasers used 2.05 megajoules of energy to hit the hydrogen. The resulting reaction produced 3 megajoules of energy.

For the first time in the history of fusion research, scientists achieved ignition — more energy was produced by the reaction than was used to create it. Here in Washington, and the world of politics, no elected official was as excited about these results as Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.).

Beyer is the former lieutenant governor of Virginia and was an ambassador in the Obama administration. A few years ago, Beyer became consumed with the promise of fusion. How it could become a cheap and plentiful alternative to fossil fuels. How it could solve the climate crisis.

In this episode of Playbook Deep Dive, host Ryan Lizza joins Congressman Beyer to explore the policy and politics of this big scientific breakthrough. Is it the turning point we’ve been promised for decades, or will it once again lead to the same dashed expectations that has long-characterized the history of fusion research?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Conversation with Dasha BurnsBy POLITICO

  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1
  • 4.1

4.1

1,461 ratings


More shows like The Conversation with Dasha Burns

View all
Political Gabfest by Slate Podcasts

Political Gabfest

8,500 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,912 Listeners

The Lawfare Podcast by The Lawfare Institute

The Lawfare Podcast

6,287 Listeners

POLITICO's Off Message by POLITICO

POLITICO's Off Message

611 Listeners

POLITICO's Pulse Check by POLITICO

POLITICO's Pulse Check

453 Listeners

The Playbook Podcast by POLITICO

The Playbook Podcast

640 Listeners

Pod Save America by Crooked Media

Pod Save America

86,163 Listeners

Sidebar by The Washington Post

Sidebar

4,530 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,044 Listeners

Power Play by POLITICO

Power Play

964 Listeners

Women Rule by POLITICO

Women Rule

308 Listeners

EU Confidential by POLITICO

EU Confidential

104 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,239 Listeners

POLITICO Money by POLITICO

POLITICO Money

207 Listeners

Post Reports by The Washington Post

Post Reports

5,412 Listeners

The Bulwark Podcast by The Bulwark

The Bulwark Podcast

11,592 Listeners

Hacks On Tap by Hacks On Tap

Hacks On Tap

8,001 Listeners

POLITICO Energy by POLITICO

POLITICO Energy

139 Listeners

POLITICO Tech by POLITICO

POLITICO Tech

392 Listeners

Westminster Insider by POLITICO

Westminster Insider

38 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,326 Listeners

The Daily Punch by Punchbowl News

The Daily Punch

701 Listeners

The Focus Group Podcast by The Bulwark

The Focus Group Podcast

2,501 Listeners

POLITICO Berlin Playbook by POLITICO

POLITICO Berlin Playbook

8 Listeners