For 30 years Sweden stood proudly at the forefront of the world’s antinuclear movement. Now, in one of the clearest signs of a nuclear-power renaissance sweeping the globe, it’s striving to lift a decades-old ban on new reactors. And it’s not alone. Ballooning energy needs, volatile oil and gas prices, increased competition for dwindling supplies, and rising concerns about global warming are all pushing countries around the world to reconsider nuclear energy. Meanwhile, memories of accidents like those at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl have faded, while a continuing string of deadly and environmentally damaging mishaps related to coal and oil production have highlighted the downside of continued reliance on fossil fuels. In short, the nuclear option is back on the table.