Germany Abandons Nuclear for Coal

In the wake of the explosion of the Fukishima nuclear plant in Japan, Germany shut down 7 nuclear power plants. Coal fired power plants will fill the gaps left by phasing out nuclear power. Germany is moving away from nuclear power even though there is very little similarity between the threats confronted by the German and Japanese reactors.

The Fukushima reactors where not destroyed by the earthquake they were destroyed by a tsunami that crippled the plants cooling system. That is why it does not make sense for Germany, a largely landlocked nation, to fear a Fukishima style meltdown.

This decision is particularly troubling because nuclear power is carbon free while coal fired plants produce global warming causing GHGs. Germany is also compounding the problem by encouraging other countries to follow their lead.

"There will be more coal power ... with consequences for CO2 emissions," said Guenther Oettinger, a former premier of Baden-Wuerttemberg state.

Even if Germany succeeds in removing all nuclear power from its territory, there are nuclear power plants throughout Europe that pose an immediate threat in the event of a meltdown.

Replacing nuclear power with renewable energy is deemed to be expensive. However, even if we ignore the short term health impacts from coal fired energy generation, the costs of failing to reduce emissions dwarf the costs of renewables. Germany could slowly transition away from nuclear power towards renewable energy, instead Germany's politicians have decided to pander to voters rather than lead the nation.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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On the Anniversary of the Bombing of Nagasaki Japan Vows to Develop More Renewable Energy

As the city of Nagasaki held a solemn memorial for the victims of the nuclear bomb that devastated that city on August 9, 1945, the city's mayor joined Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan in calling for a shift from nuclear power to renewable energy.

Japan knows all too well nuclear's savage power. The nuclear bomb that hit Nagasaki killed more than 70,000 people. On August 6, 1945, the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, killed 140,000 people.

Following a quake and tsunami that sparked the Fukushima nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011, Japan vowed to reduce its dependence on nuclear power. Nagasaki mayor Tomihisa Taue said Japan must develop safer energies such as solar and wind.

Before the March 11 disaster, Japan relied on nuclear power for about one third of its energy needs and had planned to increase that number to half of its power by 2030.

Now only 16 of Japan's 54 reactors are operational, with most of the closed plants now undergoing safety checks with more nuclear plants scheduled to go offline for checks and maintenance in coming months. Regional governments have been unwilling to approve reactor restarts.

Taue said that "no matter how long it will take, it is necessary to promote the development of renewable energies in place of nuclear power in a bid to transform ourselves into a society with a safer energy base".

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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