In 2023, energy from nuclear fusion — where two nuclei combine to form a new nucleus and release a ton of energy — became the topic du jour among some very influential people. Just weeks before COP28, the world’s preeminent climate conference, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said of fusion, “For the first time, all the pieces of the puzzle are there: the physics, the policy drivers, and the investment.” His enthusiasm was matched at COP28 when John Kerry announced a call to action for engagement on fusion energy, and a host of panels circled in on the topic. This for a technology generally accepted even a few years ago to be “not what they’re cracked up to be.” So what changed? Evidence, that’s what.
