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SMALL MODULAR REACTORS: One of the many criticisms of nuclear power as a bona fide tool in the toolbox to confront the climate crisis has been the enormous length of time and amount of money required to go from shovels in the ground to an operating facility. Not to mention the industry’s very real downsides in terms of melt downs and waste disposal.

Large power plants are technically complicated to build and controversial in terms of public support.

All of this contributes to seemingly endless delays and major cost overruns.

Parenthetically, there are some folks of good reputation who would support nuclear power but claim the U.S. has lost the ability to build big things like super-fast trains and large-scale nuclear power plants.

Advocates of Small Modular Reactors argue that not only can these smaller nuclear facilities be built less expensively, thereby reducing financial risk and, because they are modular, a “plant” could be very small, with just a few modules to power a small city, or larger, with multiple modules to serve a bigger area. They also assert that the modules are safer to operate.

In any case, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has approved a design and given the green light for NuScale Power to begin the process of applying for a license to build and operate a SMR. If approved, this would make NuScale’s SMR the first given the goahead for use in the U.S.

Hopefully, this first out of the gate effort that began in 2018 will have worked out the regulatory glitches and technical obstacles to substantially grease the wheels for future SMR applications.

The company, NuScale, expects to be operating a

Calendar

Thursday n The Davis Odd Fellows’ Thursday Live! music series returns with San Francisco musician Maurice Tani, a fixture on the alt-country scene for more than a decade. Doors open at 7 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St., with music starting at 7:30 p.m. All ages welcome. Thursday Live! shows are free, but donations are encouraged to support the musicians.

Friday n The UC Davis Arboretum hosts a Folk Music

Jam Session from noon to 1 p.m. Folk musicians can bring their acoustic instruments and play together informally during this jam session at Wyatt Deck (next to the redwood grove). All skill levels welcome and listeners are invited. Short-term parking is available in Visitor Lot 5 on Old Davis Road at Arboretum Drive. Hourly rates start at $1.75.

Wednesday, Feb. 8 n Join Project Linus to make blankets for children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need. Come to our gathering from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Davis Senior Center, 646 A St. Contact Diane McGee and sign up for the email list to receive detailed information and updated meeting time changes. All are welcome to attend the meeting and help sew Linus labels on handmade blankets that will be given to Yolo County organizations that serve children in need. Project Linus members may take home donated fabrics and yarn

6-module plant, with each of the six capable of generating up to 77 megawatts, by 2030.

NuScale claims that in addition to benefits on the front end, the technology for their SMR is such that meltdowns like what took place at Fukushima and Chernobyl are not possible: in any emergency the reactor just shuts down and cools off all by itself, no human intervention required.

Apparently, the NRC agrees with them. If true, this is a major advantage. Waste disposal remains a significant issue.

A BREATH OF NOTSO-FRESH AIR: The Hill, a newsletter on energy and the environment, recently published an article with the scary title, “Traffic pollution can impair brain function,” reporting on a study by a team of Canadian scientists published in Environmental Health.

The senior author, head of respiratory medicine at the University of British Columbia, claims this study is “the first of its kind in the world” and “provides fresh evidence supporting a connection between air pollution and cognition.” I didn’t really know that we needed new information, but these guys claim that common knowledge, at least amongst scientists, has been that although car exhaust has negative effects on the lungs, our brains are constructed in such a way that protects us from harmful effects of air pollution. The study each month to complete a blanket. Finished blankets can be brought to the next monthly gathering or to the Joann Fabric store in Woodland. For general information, drop-off location questions or fabric and yarn donations, contact McGee at dmmyolo@ gmail.com. n Davis Science Café presents “Preventing Broken Hearts: Understanding and Treating Heart Disease in Women” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at G Street WunderBar, 228 G St. in downtown Davis. Each month, Professor Jared Shaw of the UC Davis Department of Chemistry hosts the Davis Science Café, featuring scientists who are studying some of today’s cutting-edge topics. This month’s speaker is Prof. Amparo Villablanca from UC Davis Health who studies the sex differences in the molecular and cellular determinants of cardiovascular disease. The event is free to attend, with complimentary soft drinks courtesy of the UCD College of Letters and Science. Contact Shaw for information at jtshaw@ucdavis.edu or https://twitter.com/ DavisSciCafe1.

Friday, Feb. 10

n The Kiwanis Club of Davis will host its 41st allyou-can-eat Crab and Pasta Feed on Friday, Feb. 10, at the Veterans Memorial Center, 203 E. 14th St. in Davis. The social hour starts at 6 p.m. and dinner is served at 7 p.m. Tickets are $75, available by calling George Barden at 530756-1332 or Rich Seropian at 530-400-4830. Proceeds benefit Kiwanis charities.

argues that our brains may not be as protected as previously thought.

They measured (fMRI) brain activity before and after exposure to diesel exhaust and found that interconnected regions in the brain that “contribute to memory and internal thought” had decreased functionality after just a few hours of exposure to traffic pollution.

I’ve always thought we are plagued by bad drivers and now I know why. The scientists suggest we not drive with windows open and not ride a bike or walk in congested areas or on busy streets.

WORD OF THE YEAR: Many who study the English language report annually on which word or words are used most often, as well as what new words have appeared. Not everyone agrees.

For 2022, The New York Times cited “climatarian” as passé as a descriptor for dietary choices, apparently because it suggests the goal is “eating sustainably, which implies a state of preserving what is.”

According to the snippet, “a new generation wants food from companies that are actively healing the planet through climate reducing agriculture, more rigorous animal welfare policies and equitable treatment of the people who grow and process food.”

Hence, the new word for 2023 is, “regenivore,” for folks who will be looking not only at the food they eat but also how it is grown, packaged, and whether restaurant cooks/ chefs use “climate hero” ingredients, etc.

SHOUT OUT TO COOL

DAVIS: I am sometimes, often actually, reminded how lucky we are to have an organization like Cool Davis in our little town. This is not the norm. It is exceptional.

The work they do on behalf of climate action in the community, but also in educating us about climate actions and topics broadly.

The latest to come to my attention is something I wish to bring to yours.

Cool Davis has started a three-part Climate Movie Circle with screenings and follow-up discussion with scientific experts. January’s offering was “Eating our way to extinction.”

February’s screening will be “What the Health?” In March the topic is “The Invisible Vegan.” I encourage you to go to cooldavis. org for information about this movie series, and while there see what other programs and actions they have available. It’s a treasure trove.

— John Mott-Smith is a resident of Davis. This column appears the first and third Wednesday of each month. Please send comments to johnmottsmith@ comcast.net