On Nuclear Power in Germany

Here is a bit from a "Viewpoints" on the BBC Website. You can find this, as well as an argument against it, at the following address:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13594503

I include this piece, simply because--being university types--we can easily see the pros to the decision. Still, as we have seen, these are complex decisions, and many times what seems like the "obvious" and "natural" way of solving the problem conceals the complex ideological support behind it. In this case, the question becomes this: "What net effect on the environment will this proposed shut down of German nuclear power have?"

Malcolm Grimston, Chatham House research fellow:

[The German decision to close its nuclear plants] is not necessarily damaging for the nuclear industry. I think this will create new export opportunities for the French nuclear industry in Germany. The Czech Republic will be another source of the replacement imports. Most of that will be as a result of coal but the Czech Republic itself has a vigorous new nuclear programme. So this does create a new market for nuclear electricity and, as long as that is what has happened, then the environment will not be damaged.

I think the real concern is that last year we had more carbon dioxide emissions than ever before. To have a major European economy inevitably saddling itself with more greenhouse gas emissions - the German Greens are openly talking about building more gas-powered plants and supporting the new coal-fired plants that are being brought online - is, I think, going to be a tragedy for the environment, and I don't think it's going to be good for the German economy.