Monday, August 8, 2011

Nuclear Power Losing Favor in Much of the World - Amitabh Pal

A number of countries have recently rethought their romance with nuclear energy.

In Germany, the government has been compelled by a galvanized mass movement to announce an end to nuclear power.  The Italian people delivered a similarly resounding message to their government in June.  The Swiss government has also seen the light, pledging in May to shut down the country’s nuclear plants by 2034.

And even China, that energy-consuming colossus, paused new nuclear plant construction.

Unfortunately, some other prominent countries are way behind the curve. Even after Fukushima, the United States is still refusing to go a different route. In fact, Senate Republicans, instead of being sobered by Fukushima, are even holding up new safety recommendations issued by a Nuclear Regulatory Commission task force, calling them "more Washington red tape."

The full article is available here