ATOMKRAFT? Nein danke! Germans have long taken a dim view of nuclear power. In 2011, they finally renounced nuclear altogether, preferring to build up other low-carbon power sources.
So how is the plan working out? Germany is certainly greener than many industrialised nations. But in order to keep the lights on, it is burning huge amounts of lignite, a filthy fossil fuel (see 鈥German energy crisis points towards climate solution鈥).
That might not itself foil Germany鈥檚 green ambitions, if it transitions to, say, biofuel, and if plans were in hand to sequester future carbon emissions. But, strikingly, German public opinion is close to rejecting sequestration before it can even get started: a senior environment official told New Scientist that burying carbon there is about as popular as burying nuclear waste.
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So Germany is not quite a role model for the changes called for by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, including more action on sequestration (see 鈥Go big on clean energy and capture carbon, says IPCC鈥). But it does embody the challenges. Any change in power generation will upset someone; in the UK, nuclear is tolerated but wind farms raise ire. Each country will find its own way, but none can afford to be fussy. Say 鈥渘o, thanks鈥 to all of the unappealing options, and you may end up forced to say yes to the unacceptable ones.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy being green鈥