Sapere e il dibattito sull'energia nucleare nell'Italia degli anni Settanta

In the January-February 1977 issue, Sapere published a petition, addressed to the Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, from a number of Italian scientists calling for a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants in Italy. The call, in the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the ensuing National Energy Plan, was published not only because of its importance in the public and scientific debate on nuclear power, but also because it revealed «the underlying theme of the [.] journal about the need to deny technicians [alone, A/N] responsibility» for energy choices. Interested in the growing anti-nuclear opposition, the magazine aimed at providing readers with useful critical tools for a better understanding of such a complex issue, especially in terms of environmental, health and socio-political consequences. From the first issues of the ‘new series’ – launched under the editorship of Giulio Maccacaro – up to the early 1980s, Sapere was one of the liveliest ‘agoras’ in the public debate on nuclear energy. At the same time, it provided space for anti-nuclear claims. Thus, the article aims to examine – in a militant phase – the journal’s role in the Italian nuclear controversy of the 1970s.