The West’s Nuclear Mistake

Updated at 10:43 a.m. ET on December 8, 2021.

In Germany and here in the United States, politicians who want to be seen as environmentalists are increasing greenhouse-gas emissions by forcing the premature closing of serviceable nuclear-power plants.

You might think of Germany as a global environmental leader. But if you look at actual practices, you’ll see a different story. Germany burns a lot of coal, ranking ninth in world coal consumption in 2020.

That other industrial pioneer, Britain, burns almost no coal. In May 2019, mainland Britain went a week without burning any coal. The difference between Britain and Germany—and between Germany’s own rhetoric and its record—can be traced to one fateful decision by outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel: her decision in .