Anastassia Makarieva

Dr. Anastassia Makarieva is a nuclear physcist using her knowledge of physics to study atmospheric processes involving wind and water and regulating climate. The "atomic bombs" that she looks are are category 5 hurricanes and why these become weather systems that are completely out of control. In contrast, forests serve to regulate and control the climate in the air above them and help convert what could be extreme physical forces into more controlled systems that provides regular rain, more akin to the controlled heat released by nuclear energy (the metapher is hers).

Background: Dr. Makarieva graduated from Leningrad Polytechnic Institute, Faculty of Physics and Mechanics, in 1996 and obtained her PhD in atmospheric physics from St. Petersburg State University in 2000. Since 1996, she has been working in the Theoretical Physics Division of Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute investigating the life-environment interactions in the framework of the biotic regulation concept founded by Prof. Victor Gorshkov.

In co-authorship with V.G. Gorshkov, Anastassia formulated the concept of the biotic pump of atmospheric moisture, highlighting key ecological feedbacks on atmospheric moisture transport (2007) and, in cooperation with an international team of colleagues, demonstrated the existence of life’s metabolic optimum (broadly universal rate of energy consumption across life’s kingdoms) (2008). Combining theoretical work with field observations, Anastassia spent over sixty months doing forest research in the Russian wilderness. Her current research interests focus on deepening the physical understanding of ecosystem feedbacks on the water cycle and moisture transport.

She is a recipient of the 2008 L’Oréal-UNESCO prize “For Women in Science” and is currently (since 2021) an Anna Boyksen fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, where her research interests focus on deepening the physical understanding of ecosystem feedbacks on the water cycle and moisture transport.

Dr. Makarieva wrote: "The concept of biotic regulation is inherently interdisciplinary and builds, among other things, on research into the energetics of life. Much of that work preceded the biotic pump, which has since become our main focus. Yet understanding how natural ecosystems keep Earth habitable, and how we can avoid interfering, cannot be achieved within the limits of any single discipline."

As a scientific researcher at the Technical University of Munich, Institute for Advanced Study, Dr. Makarieva looked at drought mitigation through ecosystem restoration. She posted this about her work there:

Plant transpiration influences atmospheric processes locally, regionally and globally. Natural forest ecosystems have evolved a number of mechanisms to stabilize the terrestrial water cycle. While our understanding of them remains incomplete, the direct anthropogenic destruction and climate change are disrupting these stabilizing feedbacks. Conversely, preservation and restoration of natural ecosystems bear the promise of enhancing the water cycle resilience, including protection from extremes like droughts, floods and violent winds, as well as avoidance of tipping points towards aridity. The focus group will explore theoretical problems of how forest-mediated processes affect atmospheric dynamics, including scaling up individual plant processes to synoptically relevant scales. The research will combine TUM’s technical and scientific excellence with the knowledge of climate-regulating functions of least disturbed forest landscapes, most of which in Eurasia are located within Russian borders. The goal is to present quantitative evidence about the importance of natural forests for water-related aspects of regional and global climate stability. This information is required for informed stewardship towards global environmental resilience.

Publications & Interviews

Dr. Makarieva has posited theories that are not yet mainstream but which do help to explain much about why global temperatures are rising well beyond the expectation of climate scientists relative to the amount of CO2 being added to the atmosphere. In order to understand her theories, you will need to read her writing and hear her interviews, some of which we have listed below:

Google Scholar Citations: Anastassia Makarieva
Biotic Regulation and Biotic Pump (substack)
- On the scientific essence of Dr. James Hansen's recent appeal
- Forests, Water and Climate: Time for Reconceptualization, which links to a recorded presentation given by Dr. Makarieva on this topic.
- Assessing changes in atmospheric circulation due to ecohydrological restoration: How can global climate models help?
YouTube: A recorded interview and podcast with Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food: Healthy forests invest their capital to create their own rain
Science Magazine: Weather Makers: Forests supply the world with rain. A controversial Russian theory claims they also make wind, by Fried Pearce, June 18, 2020
Mongabay: Forest modeling misses the water for the carbon: Q&A with Antonio Nobre & Anastassia Makarieva, by Judith Schwartz, Feb. 7, 2023

Sources

LinkedIn, Anastassia Makarieva
Substack, Biotic Regulation and Biotic Pump
TUM-IAS, Anastassia M. Makarieva

Published by Nucleation Capital in Brilliant thinkers, History-making, Nuclear innovation, Women in Nuclear, WOMEN IN NUCLEAR GRID

June 18, 2024

Congress overwhelmingly passes the ADVANCE Act

By a vote of 88 to 2, the Congress overwhelmingly passed the reconciled ADVANCE Act (S. 870) in a powerful, bipartisan show of support for advanced nuclear power, accelerating deployments and bringing the NRC into the 21st century, so it can enable and support the growth of next-generation nuclear energy.

Alexander C. Kaufman, writing in the Huffington Post, called the ADVANCE (Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy) Act "the biggest clean-energy bill since Biden's climate law." What it really is, is legislation designed to "reverse the American nuclear industry’s decades-long decline and launch a reactor-building spree to meet surging demand for green electricity at home and to catch up with booming rivals overseas." And, according to Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), a “much needed modernization of our nuclear regulatory framework.”

There are a number of very important provisions in the bill but, one of the most important is the provision which tasks the NRC with rewriting its mission statement so as to avoid unduly limiting nuclear and thereby preventing efforts to allow society to benefit from its clean power. The bill also reduces the fees charged to developers and helps speed up the process for licensing new reactors, hiring key staff and coordinating with foreign regulators to speed deployments.

The passage of the ADVANCE Act continues a long-term trend of strong bipartisan unity on nuclear-related bills, demonstrating agreement by Democrats and Republicans on the importance of expanding clean and reliable energy. The House of Representatives had previously passed its corresponding legislation by a vote of 365 to 36, strengthening and expanding upon the version passed back in July by the Senate.

“Republicans and Democrats recognize the development of new nuclear technologies is critical to America’s energy security and our environment,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), the bill’s lead sponsor, said on the Senate floor Tuesday evening. “Today, nuclear power provides about 20% of our nation’s electricity. Importantly, it’s emissions-free electricity that is 24/7, 365 days a year.”

“This bipartisan policy creates the framework for companies to start building that order book for a second project and a third project and ultimately get the NRC ready to license dozens per year,” said Nicholas McMurray, the managing director of international and nuclear policy at energy policy group ClearPath.

The ADVANCE Act is specifically tailored to boost the next generation of reactors being designed now, that are not currently in commercial production in the U.S. Some of these newer designs will be migrating away from water cooling and will use other types of coolants, such as liquid metal or high-temperature gas, which have a range of benefits, such as enhanced safety, allowing reactors to run on different types of fuel, producing less waste and being able to operate at higher temperatures and be sized to suit the needs of users in more settings than a traditional nuclear plant.

In recognition of these so-called fourth-generation reactor models’ unique uses and the urgency of bringing these designs to market, the bill authorizes the Department of Energy to give out financial awards to the first companies to meet specific goals, such as using fuel made from recycled nuclear waste or generating heat that could be used for industrial process heat, rather than electricity production.

Given that the Biden-Harris Administration has just announced steps to bolster the domestic nuclear industry and advance America's Clean Energy Future, it seems highly likely that Biden will sign the legistlation. Meanwhile, the DOE has also just announced that it has allocated an additional $900 million to accelerate the deployment of next-generation small modular reactors.

Together, these actions amount to laying the foundation necessary to help America finally compete with Russia and China. Speaking in support of the legislation Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the bill would “support job growth, clean energy and leadership while preserving the NRC’s fundamental safety mission.'

Sources

The Huffington Post, "Congress Just Passed The Biggest Clean-Energy Bill Since Biden's Climate Law:It's all on nuclear," by Alexander C. Kaufman June 20, 2024.

DOE Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Steps to Bolster Domestic Nuclear Industry and Advance America’s Clean Energy Future, May 29th, 2024.

Office of Nuclear Energy, Enhanced Safety of Advanced Reactors, 2024.

DOE Announces $900 Million to Accelerate the Deployment of Next-Generation Light-Water Small Modular Reactors, June 17, 2024

Published by Nucleation Capital in Advanced Nuclear, Biden-Harris Administration, Brilliant thinkers, Climate policy, Energy abundance, Energy transition, Future of Energy, Government support, History Timeline, History-making, LINKS, Nuclear competitiveness, Nuclear innovation, Regulatory reform, Solving climate, US competitiveness, US technological leadership, Zero emission energy

December 10, 2021

10 EU countries call on Brussels to label nuclear energy as green source

With the eyes of the world watching, French President Emmanuel Macron led an effort, joined by nine other European nations, to call on the European Commission to recognise nuclear power as a low-carbon energy source that should be part of the bloc's decades long transition to climate neutrality.

Making the case for nuclear energy as a "key, affordable, stable and independent energy sources" the writers argue that nuclear energy could protect EU consumers from being "exposed to the volatility of prices."

Nuclear energy accounts for over a quarter of the electricity produced in the European Union, and over 74% for France, which initiated the letter that was signed by Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania.

Over 90% of the EU's natural gas come from foreign importers, with Russia as the main producer. This great dependency has been credited as one of the main factors behind the rise in energy prices as well as supply insecurity.

"Supply tensions will be more and more frequent and we have no choice but to diversify our supply. We should pay attention not to increase our dependency on energy imports from outside Europe."

The signatories urge the Commission to include nuclear energy inside the EU green taxonomy, a technical guidebook that helps governments and investors to identify which projects respect the Paris Agreement and which ones are in breach of its climate goals.

Read more in Euro News' Led by France, 10 EU countries call on Brussels to label nuclear energy as green source, published December 10, 2021.

Published by Nucleation Capital in Brilliant thinkers, Capital reallocation, Carbon emissions, Carbon markets, Climate change, Climate policy, Environmental support for nuclear, Future of Energy, International support for nuclear, LINKS, Politicians supporting nuclear, Reduced ecosystem impacts