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Germany set to miss net zero by 2045 target as climate efforts falter (www.reuters.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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[–] 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

I don't understand the hostility. Germany made a conscious decision to turn off their nuclear power plants.

Facts are facts. Nuclear power is the 2nd safest power generation method per terawatt hour. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/death-rates-from-energy-production-per-twh

Additionally there are ways to recycle nuclear fuel. Most often the arguments against nuclear are fueled by emotion and not fact based.

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  • [–] 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    Germany isn't failing its climate goals because of getting rid of nuclear power. In 2018 6,3% of our energy (not just electricity) came from nuclear power. May all the nuclear chills please kindly stfu?

    Source: https://www.bmwk.de/Redaktion/DE/Downloads/Energiedaten/energiedaten-gesamt-pdf-grafiken.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=24

    Letting those few remaining nuclear power plants stay active for another few years would've done jack shit. We're failing because of shortcomings in many sectors. The worst offenders currently are housing (~25% of total CO2 emissions) and transportation (19%).

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Perhaps the timetable for them could've been extended, but when literally one of the largest nuclear power companies in the world prefers renewables, and balks at the cost of opening a nuclear powerplant without significant government guarantees and subsidies, that should tell you something. The nuclear argument is usually fuelled by the mining lobby. Even China, who does not care for public opinion, and has an active nuclear stake for military purposes, prefers renewables. The only argument for Germany was the when was the appropriate time to shut down the reactors, not that it shouldn't have been done.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)

    I'd like to add that the agreement to shut down the nuclear power plants was made years in advance anyways. Shortly after Fukushima the german political parties voted for that, even the conservatives. Talks began even before that because there's never been a definitive place for the final storage of fuel rods and other waste, this is still not solved for the current waste btw.

    The only thing I can really agree on, is that Germany should've been much better prepared at that point. Everyone acted like this came out of thin air and something the current parties in power decided on a whim.

    Adding to this, german energy providers wouldn't even consider starting up the plants again:

    https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/atom-kraft-laufzeit-verlaengerung-100.amp

    https://www.tagesspiegel.de/wirtschaft/die-nutzung-der-kernenergie-hat-sich-erledigt-6607834.html

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago

    Germany was better prepared. The plan was to use natural gas. Which was cheaply supplied by Russia. Who woulda thunk that relying on mining operations in despotic countries could be such a bad decision? Goes for Gas as well as Uranium...

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago*

    balks at the cost of opening a nuclear powerplant without significant government guarantees and subsidies, that should tell you something.

    It tells of sane business, yes. The German government is completely unreliable with regards to nuclear power. Remember, a CDU chancellor eventually shut them down - the supposed right party that used to fight for prolonged lifetime of the plants. Any sane businessperson would request legal safety before making a huge investment that only pays off over decades.

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  • [+] -7 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I don’t understand the hostility

    Possibly a German Green. They are hostile like that towards nuclear. Ironically that made the German Green Party effectively a coal party (they don't like to hear that).

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Every single statement you've written is false.

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