The only issue I see here is the lack of environmental protection these companies wish to pursue, the systems in these countries are capitalism, and the government should not be allowed to block capitalism. However, I believe in a degree of environmental regulations and the transition to clean energy, but why Germany banned nuclear power is beyond me, it is incredibly safe nowadays, it is a near endless supply of energy, and it only releases Steam, and if bordering on a lake for cooling water (as the nuclear plant in my home state does, the Cowans Ford dam that forms Lake Norman is for nuclear purposes) then it results in an at most 1-2 degree water temperature raise, which does not affect things that much. Solar and wind are great alternative sources, but until they are truly commercially viable(can power cities without having a bazillion sq miles of panels) can we use them.
oh boy ...
calling you severely misinformed would be kind, totally brainwashed accurate and incredibly stupid a bit mean, but honest.
1.
it is incredibly safe nowadays
Fukushima? cost for the total economic damage till now is estimated 250 to 500 billion dollars. That is only local economic damage in Japan. Not including the contamination of oceans and sealife.
http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/responses/costs-and-consequences-of-fukushima.htmlJust now Tepco has asked the Japanese government for another 137 billion dollars in financial aid.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-07/fukushima-137-billion-cost-has-tepco-seeking-more-aid.html2.
it is a near endless supply of energy
It is not nearly endless. At current consumption (which always is a total unrealistic model that creates a myth of ressource longlivety) it would peak in ~ 81 years. Allthough certain other nuclear techniques, like using thorium or extracting it from seawater could enhance the ressource longlivety for a span in the tens of thousands of years, it would increase the already high cost dramatically.
3.
it only releases Steam
haha. I particularily like that statement. Maybe someone should tell you that nuclear power creates atomic waste and not only hot steam. The USA creates 2700 tons of it per year. They already have roughly 80.000 tons of high grade atomic waste. In Russia there are about 700.000 tons of radioactive waste, 140.000 tons coming from european nuclear power plants.
Since the halflife of certain Isotops is incredibly high, it has to be stored safely for a million years to be of no more risk.
Given that civilization is only roughly 10.000 to 20.000 years old, this is an incredibly ambitious timeframe, dont you think?
That is why a final solution has not yet been found and it is highly unlikely that it can ever be found. Recently the USA abandoned their 9 billion dollar nuclear waste facility because of safety concerns and in Germany a 1,4 billion dollar facility will most likely share the same fate.
So please, dont be so ridiculous and inform yourself before you believe nuclear lobby propaganda.