A government laboratory, after decades of tireless effort and many a disappointment, announces that it has achieved the holy grail of green energy — nuclear fusion ignition! And the response has been ... a damp squib.
A reporter at The Guardian sniffed that what happened at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was a “milestone event but not a major one.” Yes, he agrees, “nuclear fusion would have a beneficial impact on our planet by liberating vast amounts of energy without generating high levels of carbon emissions and would be an undoubted boost in the battle against climate change.” So why not cheer? Apparently because failures and hoaxers have claimed breakthroughs in the past that didn’t pan out.
