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Merkel also shut down nuclear power plants didn't she, causing Germany to increase dependency of coal? (At least until solar/wind can take over completely). So

by sgt 6y ago

Merkel also shut down nuclear power plants didn't she, causing Germany to increase dependency of coal? (At least until solar/wind can take over completely). So much for her environmental ideas. I would take a German nuclear power plant any day over coal.

luckylion 6y ago
Yes, a lot of her policies were closer to the Green party in Germany, who have been asking for the immediate end of nuclear power for a long time. I'd prefer nuclear of coal as well, but there's a significant number of people that are terribly afraid of it on a pre-rational level. From what I understand, it's the idea of a run-away process that "doesn't feel natural", i.e. can't stop it burning by just not putting in more coal. It seems like "humanity should not meddle with the power of the gods", but they're usually explicitly anti-religious.
b3orn 6y ago
Nuclear power was first shut down under Schröder with a coalition of SPD and Green. The shut down was then cancelled by Merkel just to shut it down again shortly after the Fukushima disaster.
- sgt 6y ago
  Interesting. So I guess Merkel had the right intentions (keeping nuclear seeing it was the greenest / lesser-evil option), but also the expected characteristics of a politician.
mschuster91 6y ago
> I would take a German nuclear power plant any day over coal. I'd prefer ditching both. Germany lost more jobs in the solar and wind industry than there are left in coal ffs, we would stand way better in the Energiewende if it were not for Conservatives in government. When China started dumping solar the German government did nothing, and wind was famously sabotaged by Conservatives ("10H Regel"). Besides, just that a nuclear plant is operated in Germany does not mean at all it is safe. The list of accidents is long (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_meldepflichtiger_Ereignisse_in_deutschen_kerntechnischen_Anlagen https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_meldepflichtiger_Ereigni...), way too long. Nuclear fission cannot be operated safely and in contrast to the US we don't have ample lots of empty space away from civilization where we can chuck the waste into - we are not even close to finding a permanent disposal site.

by sgt 6y ago

luckylion 6y ago

Yes, a lot of her policies were closer to the Green party in Germany, who have been asking for the immediate end of nuclear power for a long time. I'd prefer nuclear of coal as well, but there's a significant number of people that are terribly afraid of it on a pre-rational level. From what I understand, it's the idea of a run-away process that "doesn't feel natural", i.e. can't stop it burning by just not putting in more coal. It seems like "humanity should not meddle with the power of the gods", but they're usually explicitly anti-religious.

b3orn 6y ago

Nuclear power was first shut down under Schröder with a coalition of SPD and Green. The shut down was then cancelled by Merkel just to shut it down again shortly after the Fukushima disaster.

sgt 6y ago
Interesting. So I guess Merkel had the right intentions (keeping nuclear seeing it was the greenest / lesser-evil option), but also the expected characteristics of a politician.

mschuster91 6y ago

> I would take a German nuclear power plant any day over coal. I'd prefer ditching both. Germany lost more jobs in the solar and wind industry than there are left in coal ffs, we would stand way better in the Energiewende if it were not for Conservatives in government. When China started dumping solar the German government did nothing, and wind was famously sabotaged by Conservatives ("10H Regel"). Besides, just that a nuclear plant is operated in Germany does not mean at all it is safe. The list of accidents is long (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_meldepflichtiger_Ereignisse_in_deutschen_kerntechnischen_Anlagen https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_meldepflichtiger_Ereigni...), way too long. Nuclear fission cannot be operated safely and in contrast to the US we don't have ample lots of empty space away from civilization where we can chuck the waste into - we are not even close to finding a permanent disposal site.