Atomic Environments: Nuclear Technologies, the Natural World, and Policymaking, 1945-1960

During the early nuclear age, policymakers in the Truman and Eisenhower administrations used environmental science to develop nuclear strategy. Neil S. Oatsvall's book shows how the natural world and scientific disciplines became integral parts of nuclear science, but technologies frequently caused harm to the environment. Policymakers prioritized nuclear boosterism and secrecy over the lives and living systems they were charged to protect, leading to an emerging technocratic class that valued knowledge about the environment to create and maintain a nuclear arsenal.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 21 February 2023
Publisher: The University of Alabama Press

In the book Atomic Environments: Nuclear Technologies, the Natural World, and Policymaking, 1945-1960, Neil S. Oatsvall delves into the intricate relationship between environmental science and nuclear strategy during the early years of the Cold War. While numerous individuals contributed to research and analysis during this period, it was at the highest levels of executive decision-making that environmental science and nuclear science converged to shape national policies. Oatsvall's work vividly illustrates how the natural world and the scientific disciplines that study it became integral components of nuclear science rather than adversarial fields of knowledge. However, while nuclear technologies heavily relied on environmental science for their development, they often caused significant harm to the natural world. Moreover, while some individuals expressed genuine concerns about the damage wrought by nuclear technologies, policymakers, as a collective, consistently prioritized nuclear boosterism and secrecy, placing institutional values above the lives and living systems they were meant to protect.

By examining institutional policymaking practices and agendas at the dawn of the nuclear age, Oatsvall uncovers a persistent set of values. He reveals an emerging technocratic class that routinely valued environmental knowledge to aid in the creation and maintenance of a nuclear arsenal, despite its existential threat to life on Earth and the negative effects many nuclear technologies had on ecosystems and the American people. Despite their responsibility to safeguard and promote the well-being of the United States, policymakers exhibited a tendency to prioritize nuclear interests over the broader environmental and societal concerns.

The book Atomic Environments provides a valuable insight into the complex interplay between environmental science, nuclear strategy, and policymaking during the early nuclear age. It sheds light on the ways in which top officials in the Truman and Eisenhower administrations used environmental science to develop nuclear strategy, while also acknowledging the harm caused by nuclear technologies to the natural world. Oatsvall's analysis highlights the tensions between scientific knowledge and political decision-making, and underscores the need for a more balanced approach to addressing the challenges posed by nuclear technologies.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780817321468