Saturday, June 11, 2016

Did Germany react in a knee-jerk way to Chernobyl and Fukushima? Errm, no.

Prompted (once again) by the question: "Is there really a role for nuclear in the low-carbon energy transition?" on Rod Janssen's blog (to which the short answer is a resounding NO!), it is worth reflecting on the strong and deep-rooted nuclear resistance in Germany, and the closely related emergence of the Energiewende. Contrary to the unenlightened superficial and indeed quite ludicrous view that one hears and reads occasionally to the effect that it was a knee-jerk reaction to Chernobyl and/or Fukushima, not surprisingly the story is much more complex.

Stand by for further elaboration in due course.