Earthrise Policy and Justice Lab

A Vision for Climate Truth, Energy Justice, and Nuclear Realism

“The world is not suffering from a lack of climate solutions. It is suffering from a lack of honesty about them.”

As Earthrise Accord (EA) establishes itself in both Europe and the United States, we are building more than another climate nonprofit. We are founding an initiative that connects scientific realism to moral urgency. At the center of this vision is the Earthrise Policy and Justice Lab (EPJL)—a global, public-facing research platform dedicated to energy truth-telling, climate ethics, and nuclear justice.

EPJL will begin at two founding sites:

1. A top-ranked U.S. university with deep expertise in nuclear energy and public policy—soon to be home to EA’s American 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquarters.

   
   

2. TU Delft in the Netherlands, via our legal and editorial partner, Stichting Earthrise Accord (SEA), and the forthcoming Earthrise journal.

These dual foundations—one in the heart of the U.S. nuclear engineering landscape, and the other at Europe’s premier university research reactor—will ground EPJL in the kind of technical legitimacy, institutional independence, and global ethical vision the climate transition desperately needs.

From these two anchors, we plan to replicate the EPJL model globally—establishing future partner labs in:

• Japan (University of Tokyo or Tokyo Tech)

• China (Tsinghua University)

• India (IIT Bombay or BARC-affiliated institute)

• France (École Polytechnique or Sciences Po)

• And beyond.

Why a Policy and Justice Lab?

Because truth matters—and today, it’s being buried under a mountain of magical thinking, soft denial, and ideological capture. No issue reflects this more clearly than the treatment of nuclear energy by climate institutions and philanthropic networks.

EA was founded to challenge one core distortion: the exclusion of nuclear power from “clean” and “renewable” transition strategies, even when this exclusion:

• Prolongs the life of fossil fuels

• Undermines decarbonization goals

• Jeopardizes intergenerational and global equity

EPJL will confront this distortion not only with scientific evidence—but with moral clarity. The Lab aims to bridge:

• The technical authority of leading research universities in nuclear fission and energy modeling

• EA’s global narrative and justice-based critique of energy denialism

• A new generation of students, policymakers, and activists looking for honest tools and frameworks to build a livable future

What EPJL Will Do

EPJL will be structured around four integrated arms of work, each rooted in both science and ethics:

1. Policy Design and Transition Modeling

• Lifecycle emissions and land-use comparisons

• Institutional mapping of legal and financial barriers to nuclear deployment

• Scenario modeling that incorporates equity, reliability, and justice—not just cost curves

2. Narrative and Communications Lab

• Strategic campaigns that challenge renewables-only ideology

• Visual and textual explainers to communicate energy complexity without distortion

• Journalist and activist trainings in lifecycle truth, regulatory capture, and transition realism

3. Justice and Law Incubator

• Model legislation to reform distorted “clean energy” laws

• Legal toolkits for nuclear inclusion and fossil deflation

• A fellowship program for legal scholars in climate, energy, and environmental equity

4. Fellowship and Student Pipeline

• One-year Earthrise Fellowships at partner universities

• Visiting scholar residencies, with emphasis on the Global South and post-extractive economies

• A “Transition Studio” summer program focused on interdisciplinary realism

Why TU Delft and a U.S. Nuclear Anchor?

TU Delft brings technical integrity to Europe’s discourse: it runs one of the continent’s only university research reactors and has a curriculum grounded in nuclear safety, fission physics, and SMR innovation. As SEA’s academic home in the EU and the birthplace of the Earthrise journal, Delft will serve as the European node of EPJL’s research and narrative output.

In the U.S., we are currently selecting a launch partner from our Top 25 Nuclear Realism University List—which includes institutions such as:

• MIT

• University of Michigan

• Texas A&M

• UC Berkeley

• University of Wisconsin–Madison

• Stanford

• Columbia

These universities offer the combination of DOE affiliation, reactor history, policy engagement, and academic prestige necessary for a durable U.S. base. A decision on this anchor site will be finalized in tandem with the establishment of Earthrise Accord’s 501(c)(3).

Why Now?

Because we are living through a crisis of delayed honesty. Nuclear energy, the only ultra-scalable zero-carbon firm power source, is being excluded from global climate strategy by actors who claim to prioritize justice but ignore physics, capacity, and human need.

This is not merely a policy failure—it is a justice failure. It reflects an ethical collapse masquerading as consensus.

EPJL will correct the record—scientifically, legally, and morally—and offer a new platform for thinking, training, and acting in the transition era.

What’s Next?

We are currently:

• Finalizing EA’s U.S. nonprofit registration and university partnership

• Building our editorial, policy, and legal infrastructure at SEA and TU Delft

• Recruiting early advisors, faculty allies, and legal scholars

• Preparing to launch the Earthrise journal in multiple languages

• Seeking funders and institutions committed to truth, clarity, and durable decarbonization

If you are affiliated with a leading university—or represent a foundation, public agency, or lab that sees through the propaganda fog—we would love to hear from you.

This is just the beginning. But the stakes could not be higher.

🏛️ Top 25 Universities for Hosting EPJL (Ranked by Prestige + EA Fit)

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

• Location: Cambridge, MA, USA

• Prestige: Unrivaled global leader in nuclear engineering and energy systems research.

• Nuclear Fit: Home to the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and the top-ranked Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering. Closely connected to U.S. energy policy and reactor innovation (e.g., TerraPower, DOE labs).

• Divestment: Has not divested from fossil fuels. Despite extensive student-led campaigns, MIT maintains close ties with oil and gas firms for research and funding.

• Bonus: No institution is better positioned to ground EPJL in both nuclear credibility and transition policy realism. A partnership here would reshape discourse globally.

2. Tsinghua University

• Location: Beijing, China

• Prestige: China’s most elite technical university and a rising global scientific authority.

• Nuclear Fit: Home to the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET). Lead developer of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR) and a policy center for China's aggressive nuclear expansion.

• Divestment: No public fossil fuel divestment commitment. Chinese institutions typically align with national industrial strategies.

• Bonus: Strategically vital for engaging the world’s most ambitious nuclear deployment effort; EPJL could bring energy justice into China’s technocratic realism.

3. University of Michigan

• Location: Ann Arbor, MI, USA

• Prestige: Top U.S. public university in nuclear engineering; among the global top three in the field.

• Nuclear Fit: Home to extensive fission research, grid modeling, and DOE partnerships. Strong capacity for interdisciplinary integration with law and public health.

• Divestment: Committed in 2021 to a net-zero endowment by 2050 and pledged no new direct investments in companies that extract oil reserves, thermal coal, or tar sands.

• Bonus: Arguably the best public-sector host for EPJL in the U.S.—technically elite, socially aware, and structurally grounded.

4. École Polytechnique

• Location: Palaiseau (Paris), France

• Prestige: France’s top grande école for science, engineering, and public administration.

• Nuclear Fit: Embedded in France’s nuclear energy infrastructure; closely tied to EDF, CEA, and French civil nuclear education.

• Divestment: No formal fossil fuel divestment policy reported; energy curriculum includes nuclear as cornerstone.

• Bonus: EA’s most natural French institutional partner—technocratic rigor meets civic nuclear realism.

5. University of California, Berkeley

• Location: Berkeley, CA, USA

• Prestige: Historic nuclear powerhouse and top global public university.

• Nuclear Fit: Home to a top-ranked Department of Nuclear Engineering and part of California’s advanced grid and climate research landscape.

• Divestment: The UC system fully divested from fossil fuels in 2020.

• Bonus: Hosting EPJL here would symbolize reclaiming nuclear truth from the center of legacy anti-nuclear ideology—a narrative reversal with global power.

6. ETH Zürich

• Location: Zürich, Switzerland

• Prestige: Europe’s most elite technical university; consistently ranks just behind MIT.

• Nuclear Fit: While Switzerland has paused nuclear expansion, ETH continues high-level reactor modeling, safety analysis, and energy systems research.

• Divestment: ETH has not formally divested from fossil fuels; pressure is ongoing from students and faculty.

• Bonus: Ideal for positioning EPJL in a post-ideological European context—scientific, rigorous, and publicly credible.

7. University of Tokyo

• Location: Tokyo, Japan

• Prestige: Japan’s premier university and Asia’s historic academic leader.

• Nuclear Fit: Strong research in nuclear engineering and safety; deeply engaged in post-Fukushima energy ethics and technological resilience.

• Divestment: No formal fossil fuel divestment policy reported.

• Bonus: A powerful host for EPJL’s East Asian node; offers high cultural legitimacy for combining realism with ethics and energy trauma recovery.

8. Stanford University

• Location: Stanford, CA, USA

• Prestige: Top 3 U.S. university across all domains; globally dominant in tech and innovation.

• Nuclear Fit: Not a nuclear engineering school per se, but deeply involved in energy systems modeling, SMR discourse, and transition finance.

• Divestment: Reduced fossil fuel holdings by over 90% but has not officially declared full divestment.

• Bonus: Perfect base for EPJL’s West Coast identity—policy-credible, donor-connected, and able to challenge renewables-only tech utopianism.

9. University of Cambridge

• Location: Cambridge, UK

• Prestige: Among the top three most prestigious universities worldwide.

• Nuclear Fit: Strong energy policy groups (e.g., EPRG); UK’s return to nuclear makes Cambridge increasingly relevant.

• Divestment: Announced in 2020 that it would fully divest from fossil fuels by 2030.

• Bonus: Ideal for bridging nuclear realism and climate ethics within European academic culture.

10. University of Oxford

• Location: Oxford, UK

• Prestige: Possibly the most prestigious university globally.

• Nuclear Fit: Less nuclear-forward than Cambridge but influential in global environmental law, ethics, and governance.

• Divestment: Committed to fossil fuel divestment in 2020; pledged no new direct investments.

• Bonus: EPJL could serve as Oxford’s radical energy realism voice within its climate, finance, and global governance hubs.

11. Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

• Location: Delft, Netherlands

• Prestige: Europe’s premier applied science university in nuclear reactor technology.

• Nuclear Fit: Operates the 2 MWth HOR research reactor at the Reactor Institute Delft. Offers strong SMR curriculum, neutron science, and reactor physics programs.

• Divestment: No formal fossil fuel divestment policy as of 2024. TU Delft has emphasized reducing emissions through technology and systems solutions rather than divestment.

• Bonus: Already closely aligned with EA’s SEA base in The Hague—ideal as a research and narrative hub in Europe. Anchors technical credibility with Dutch policy relevance.

12. Politecnico di Milano

• Location: Milan, Italy

• Prestige: Italy’s most prestigious technical university.

• Nuclear Fit: Hosts advanced research in nuclear safety, reactor modeling, and materials science. Strong historical ties to Italy’s pre-1987 nuclear development and current SMR debates.

• Divestment: No confirmed fossil fuel divestment policy; institutional focus remains on innovation and carbon neutrality through technology.

• Bonus: A platform for reintroducing nuclear discourse into a country that once had a robust nuclear sector. Excellent bridge to Southern Europe and Mediterranean justice concerns.

13. KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)

• Location: Daejeon, South Korea

• Prestige: South Korea’s top science and technology university.

• Nuclear Fit: Leads Korean research in SMRs, advanced reactors, and nuclear systems optimization. Core partner to South Korea’s export-driven nuclear strategy.

• Divestment: No fossil fuel divestment policy; Korea’s university-industry partnerships are aligned with national energy strategy.

• Bonus: Natural EPJL East Asia partner in a nuclear-forward democracy. Offers high-level policy and technical collaboration, especially on next-gen fission.

14. University of Manchester

• Location: Manchester, UK

• Prestige: UK’s top university for nuclear engineering and energy materials research.

• Nuclear Fit: Home to the Dalton Nuclear Institute—the largest and most comprehensive academic nuclear center in the UK. Research strengths in decommissioning, SMRs, and nuclear futures.

• Divestment: Committed in 2021 to full divestment from fossil fuels, with implementation underway.

• Bonus: A working-class, justice-informed institutional culture makes Manchester a strong candidate for EPJL’s ethically grounded realism in a post-industrial context.

15. McMaster University

• Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

• Prestige: Canada’s leading nuclear research institution.

• Nuclear Fit: Operates Canada’s largest nuclear research reactor (5 MW McMaster Nuclear Reactor). Strengths in radioisotopes, nuclear medicine, and research reactor operations.

• Divestment: As of 2024, McMaster has not formally divested from fossil fuels, but campus advocacy is ongoing.

• Bonus: EPJL could leverage McMaster’s unique role as both an academic and isotope production site to anchor pro-nuclear health and justice work.

16. Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech)

• Location: Tokyo, Japan

• Prestige: Japan’s top-tier technical university.

• Nuclear Fit: Specializes in advanced nuclear reactor design, safety engineering, and materials resilience. Key player in Japan’s post-Fukushima nuclear research community.

• Divestment: No public commitment to fossil fuel divestment.

• Bonus: A strong technical base for EPJL’s nuclear engineering integration with ethical, long-term risk modeling in a nation with complex nuclear memory.

17. University of Wisconsin–Madison

• Location: Madison, WI, USA

• Prestige: Historically top-tier in nuclear engineering, with sustained DOE support and reactor science excellence.

• Nuclear Fit: Renowned for reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, and advanced simulation. Close ties with Idaho National Lab and nuclear fuel cycle R&D.

• Divestment: As of 2024, no formal fossil fuel divestment; UW System continues to hold fossil investments despite faculty and student activism.

• Bonus: Deep technical legitimacy. EPJL could elevate UW’s technical leadership into a public discourse platform on nuclear transition and environmental justice.

18. Seoul National University (SNU)

• Location: Seoul, South Korea

• Prestige: South Korea’s most prestigious comprehensive university.

• Nuclear Fit: Strong in nuclear engineering and energy policy; partner to KAERI and involved in SMR and Gen IV research.

• Divestment: No fossil fuel divestment policy; Korea’s national energy strategy and industrial alignment dominate.

• Bonus: High-prestige East Asian partner for EPJL that complements KAIST’s technical dominance with broader policy and academic legitimacy.

19. KTH Royal Institute of Technology

• Location: Stockholm, Sweden

• Prestige: Sweden’s top technical university; well-connected to European energy research networks.

• Nuclear Fit: Active in reactor systems, SMR development, and nuclear materials. Increasingly aligned with Sweden’s policy reversal toward nuclear expansion.

• Divestment: No formal divestment reported, but Sweden’s public universities are reducing fossil investments via public mandates.

• Bonus: Ideal for Nordic leg of EPJL; blends nuclear resurgence with a justice-oriented climate politics tradition.

20. Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

• Location: Trondheim, Norway

• Prestige: Norway’s leading STEM and energy university.

• Nuclear Fit: Historically peripheral, but now actively supporting SMR and DAC-fueled synthetic fuels research; growing partner to Norsar and global hydrogen/nuclear consortia.

• Divestment: Norway’s national fund divested from fossil fuels; NTNU follows public sector norms and is aligned with decarbonization mandates.

• Bonus: Strategically vital for Arctic climate policy, hydrogen, and EA’s DACSF (nuclear-powered direct air capture and synthetic fuels) expansion.

21. Texas A&M University

• Location: College Station, TX, USA

• Prestige: Top U.S. public university in nuclear engineering by faculty size and DOE lab partnerships.

• Nuclear Fit: Major partner to national labs; runs the Nuclear Engineering and Science Center (NESC); strong in reactor design, fuel cycle, and policy engagement.

• Divestment: No divestment; Texas state policy prohibits ESG-aligned asset management for state funds.

• Bonus: Hosting EPJL here would engage the energy heartland directly—embedding realism inside fossil-centric geographies.

22. University of Alberta

• Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Prestige: Western Canada’s most prominent energy university.

• Nuclear Fit: Province exploring SMRs for oil sands decarbonization; U of A hosts Canada’s largest transition modeling group focused on nuclear + hydrogen.

• Divestment: Partial divestment in 2023 with increased focus on ESG screening; full divestment not confirmed.

• Bonus: EPJL could drive realism inside Canada’s fossil capital—offering nuclear as just transition for post-extraction futures.

23. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Location: Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA

• Prestige: Top-tier land-grant STEM university; historically strong in reactor modeling.

• Nuclear Fit: Home to the Advanced Reactors and Fuel Cycles group; also pilot site for NuScale SMR discussions.

• Divestment: No system-wide fossil fuel divestment across the University of Illinois; advocacy remains active.

• Bonus: Technical realism meets rural Midwest populism; EPJL could intervene in red-state transition narratives.

24. Sorbonne University

• Location: Paris, France

• Prestige: France’s most iconic university for philosophy, literature, and law.

• Nuclear Fit: Not a nuclear engineering institution, but central to French climate ethics and energy law discourse.

• Divestment: Participates in partial fossil fuel divestment efforts through French national funding realignment.

• Bonus: Perfect editorial and philosophical partner for EPJL’s psychoanalytic, legal, and cultural projects—especially for French- and EU-facing publication work.

25. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay)

• Location: Mumbai, India

• Prestige: India’s premier engineering institution.

• Nuclear Fit: Collaborates with BARC and DAE; strong in reactor safety and control systems; part of India’s nuclear education pipeline.

• Divestment: No divestment policies reported; India’s national energy planning takes precedence.

• Bonus: Strategic South Asian partner; allows EPJL to engage nuclear justice questions in a Global South context where energy equity is paramount.