3 ms·
Why ultra-green Germany turned its back on nuclear energy
- amadeuspagel 3y ago> Nuclear energy is a controversial topic in most places, but Germany is notable for its historic antipathy toward the technology. “Anti-nuclear sentiment in Germany is widespread and longstanding, and it’s highly correlated with concern for climate change,” says Pushker Kharecha, deputy director of the Climate Science, Awareness, and Solutions Program at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. I'm sure you get these results from opinion polls, but what does concern for climate change mean if one is anti-nuclear, if one is against the second-biggest climate neutral source of energy[1]? > Mentioning the legacy of WWII, Wiliarty adds that the possibility, however remote, of causing another tragedy on the European continent is enough to make nuclear energy a nonstarter for many Germans. (This may help explain why Germany continues to buy, situationally, nuclear-generated electricity from France even as it moves away from “homegrown” nuclear.) Germany pressures neighbouring countries like France and Belgium to stop nuclear, thankfully without success so far. The reason germany buys nuclear-generated electricity from France is a shared electricity grid, with no way to turn off specific sources of power. [1]: https://ourworldindata.org/electricity-mix https://ourworldindata.org/electricity-mix
- ZeroGravitas 3y ago> but what does concern for climate change mean if one is anti-nuclear, if one is against the second-biggest climate neutral source of energy[1]? Those figures are from 2020 and it's likely that wind will overtake nuclear this year and solar will do the same within a few years.