THE NUCLEAR TEMPTATION
The Perils of Pushing Atomic Energy as the Climate Change PanaceaBy Philip Bethge
Is nuclear power on the verge of a renaissance? Its supporters argue that atomic energy is the only way to satisfy humanity’s hunger for more energy without aggravating the effects of global warming. Critics, however, regard the nuclear hype as over-simplistic optimism fueled by an industry in distress.
Two cooling towers at the Gundremmingen nuclear power plant in Germany: currently 435 atomic plants are online in 31 countries.
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DDPTwo cooling towers at the Gundremmingen nuclear power plant in Germany: currently 435 atomic plants are online in 31 countries.
The constant drizzle coming down over the Cotentin Peninsula on Normandy’s coast has cloaked France’s nuclear future in a fine mist. Massive electricity towers stand in the wet fog looking like identical giants with slumping shoulders. “British weather,” says Philippe Leigné while looking at the dirty hulks of concrete that comprise the nuclear reactors Flamanville 1 and 2. The construction foreman for French energy titan Electricité de France then points to a pit near the foot of a small rise.