Is nuclear power a green solution? Why world tilts toward ‘yes.’
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, a leading Green Party member who also serves as minister for climate and economic affairs, this week made the sort of announcement that would have been all but unthinkable even a year ago.
Germany, he said, in a subtle shift from longtime promises to rid the country of all nuclear power by December, was no longer going to shutter all three of its remaining nuclear power plants. Instead, given the pressures of climate change and energy shortages, the country would keep two nuclear facilities as emergency energy backups – at least into next year.
Mr. Habeck was adamant that the move did not reflect a new embrace of nuclear technology.
Yet the announcement still seemed to reflect what analysts say is a worldwide trend: Environmental groups and policymakers are softening their stances against nuclear power, some reluctantly, some whole-heartedly, and many with a new sort of
