Climate activist Greta Thunberg says it is "a very bad idea” for Germany to shut down its zero-emissions nuclear power plants in favor of coal. Thunberg’s statement comes within the context of a long-standing debate. The country originally planned to shut down all existing reactors by the end of 2022, but increasing energy pressure resulting from the war in Ukraine has led to a re-evaluation. Though the government has agreed to extend the running times for two nuclear plants, they have also permitted several coal power plants to reactivate.

Several members of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition, including Finance Minister Christian Lindner, are pushing for an even longer extension for the closing nuclear plants. "I welcome the support of Fridays for Future founder Greta Thunberg for the FDP position to keep our nuclear plants on the grid. In this energy war everything that generates electricity must be on the grid. The reasons speak for themselves -- economically and physically," Lindner stated. Others maintain that the shutdown must proceed.

Germany is not the only country wrestling with big decisions about nuclear power, as a result of changing activist priorities and the reality of aging infrastructure. Reactors in countries including France and the US are aging rapidly, while in 2021, nuclear power provided less than 10% of electricity globally for the first time in 40 years. China is one of the few countries increasing nuclear production, adding five new nuclear reactors to the grid in the past 18 months.

Why This Matters

Major climate organizations, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), concur that nuclear power is not the perfect carbon-free energy source -- but it can be a critical part of the solution. Nuclear plant closures are often associated with increasing emissions as countries like Germany pivot to coal -- rather than renewables -- in an effort to rapidly establish energy independence.

Small Reactors, Big Impact

Earlier this year, the EU designated gas and nuclear power as "green” investment options. The decision has been highly controversial within the bloc -- Austrian Environmental Minister Leonore Gewessler, for example, called the labeling system an "irresponsible and unreasonable” greenwashing scheme with "incalculable risks.” In fact Austria has filed legal action with the European Court of Justice.

But countries need not look to fossil fuels to address the energy crisis -- war and climate change are twin threats. "Every war is a disaster. On many levels,” Thunberg says. "But we must be able to focus on different things at the same time.”

Small Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) could provide a safer alternative to traditional nuclear plants in the quest to decarbonize and establish energy independence. They’re cheaper, easier to build, generate less waste, and more secure. As energy expert Alan Ahn writes for WW0’s Front Lines, "perceptions of nuclear energy continue to be shadowed by the past” -- emerging technologies, including nuclear fusion reactors and spent fuel recycling initiatives, can flip the political script on nuclear.