I read an article in the Economist entitled, "A policy of denial," about the future of nuclear power in Germany. The article raises an important issue: Should current nuclear plants be phased out or should their lifespan be extended to help nations meet environmental goals, such as combatting global warming? As I've discussed in the past, I am not a big fan of nuclear power, given the terrorism target these plants can become and the ancillary nuclear waste of which needs to be disposed very carefully. The article notes that Germany has found little more than "interim solutions" for nuclear waste storage. Yet, in Europe, nuclear power is often the norm, such as in France. The Germans seem a bit more ambivalent as to the future of nuclear power, but with its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals--40% below 1990 levels by 2020--it may need to continue to run nuclear plants longer than anticipated. German officials note that renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, cannot alone meet its energy needs. Its gas and oil supplies have been less secure given the antics of countries like Russia. Although Germany wants to explore cleaner coal (which we all know I am not a big fan of either), it does not have any such plants available presently.

It's hard not to sympathize with the Germans. It seems that the German leaders are serious about global warming and limiting the country's contribution to it, yet the nation may not have enough reliable energy sources for the future if nuclear power is phased out. That leaves the dilemma of whether to encourage Germany to build more traditional coal-fired power plants, such as in our nation, China and India, to meet energy needs and do away with nuclear power, or on the flip-side, to encourage it to meet climate change goals and continue to use nuclear power. If these are the choices, I think I'd be inclined to lean towards sticking with nuclear power for the time being, while exploring alternative energy options. Nuclear power has significant downsides, yet if we dissuade nations from limiting greenhouse gas emissions, we know our fate. This is certainly one of the more complicated issues for the energy arena.