Every year we pump 60 million tons of nitrogen oxides, 100 million tons of sulphur dioxide and 20 000 million tons of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. Surely nuclear power, which emits almost negligible amounts of these gases, is beyond reproach? However, as the nuclear industry knows well, the public does not think so, and remains deeply suspicious of nuclear power.

Björn Wahlström, who has worked in the Finnish nuclear industry for the past 25 years, makes a persuasive case for nuclear power in this amusing but informative little book. He begins by imagining that nuclear power had been used since the dawn of civilization and describes the outcry that would ensue today if someone discovered “fossil instead of reactor energy” or “FIRE”. He then shows how innocuous – and even mundane – nuclear power can be by pretending to be an anxious member of the public on a tour of a nuclear-power station. He also tries to show how safe such plants are by coming up with a raft of supposedly reassuring statistics.

The author is less convincing about how to deal with nuclear waste, and does not address the nuclear industry’s reputation – whether undeserved or not – for secrecy and cover-ups. He is also a little too eager to blame the media for the public’s poor perception of nuclear power, although he makes the valid point that the media often give the opponents of nuclear power, who can afford to make wildly inaccurate statements, the same coverage as the carefully worded opinions of experts.

But my main criticism of the book is that author has not included any references, supposedly to avoid making it “boring”. Identifying the sources of his claims would, I feel, have helped to add weight to his argument.