Day 4/ Journée 4

Since I lived in France during a year of high school and speak French I decided a layover in Paris on my way to Germany would be a good idea. Having a couple of days to get over jet lag and prepare for research in a country where I can actually communicate and function easily was ideal.

The more I read the book, The Radiance Of France by Gabrielle Hecht the more I become interested in the French view of nuclear power. France uses nuclear power more than any other country. They are one of only 3 countries (France, Belgium and Slovakia) that rely on nuclear power for their primary source of energy. To a large degree it has to do with the French definition of the public service: “Everyone’s right to equal access to a regular, quality service, supplied at the best price.” Like education and healthcare, energy is one of those very basic services that citizens need. (I would note that the cost of nuclear energy is going up, not down however.)

Without going to far into the topic of nuclear weapons, which is not what my project is about, I do have to point out that nuclear weapons and nuclear energy are not two exclusive topics. This should be important in noting with the current climate, fear and international investigations of nuclear weapons. Support of nuclear power in the 1950’s was in major part by a technopolitical regime.  As mentioned in Hecht’s book, “Technical and the political are carefully defended and distinguished, but are at the same time made interdependent. The nuclear power plant, designed by industrialists, engineers and scientists, is a hybrid sociotechnical agencement, both  a technical device (capable of producing plutonium and electricity) and a political contrivance (it paves the way to the atomic bomb).”

With 58 nuclear power plants in a country that’s smaller than Texas, I knew one wouldn’t be too far. I chose Nogent Sur-Seine Nuclear Power Plant because of the recent controversy. In December 2011, after the Fukushima disaster, 9 Greenpeace activists broke into the power plant and climbed onto one of the towers holding a banner that stated, “Safe nuclear (energy) doesn’t exist.” Greenpeace’s mission was to show how easy it was for someone to break in and get to the heart of the nuclear reactor.

Photos up next

Germany, a country know for it’s engineering and technological advancements, decided to pull the plug on nuclear power in a state of controversy after Fukushima. The controversy lies in whether or not the alternatives are really any better. It is well understood that coal is not a good alternative with the state of air pollution and global warming and even as advanced as Germany is with green energy, (biomass, wind and solar) these alternatives are not always consistent and cannot currently meet all the energy needs for a country with nearly 82 million people. In the interim of phasing out nuclear power and pushing advancements in green energy, coal is the dirty man picked to do the job. I am convinced however that the newer coal plants being built in Germany are more efficient and cleaner than any of the old coal plants we rely on in the U.S. Germany took a stand on the topic rather than shrugging and saying, “It’s all bad!” This is commendable because very few countries have made a clear decision, stood by it and forced technological advancements to improve quality and accessibility.

Developing countries that do not have adequate electricity are under some of the worse possible conditions. Kerosene, still used by many, is not only extremely polluting but seriously unhealthy and causes many fatal respiratory problems. Energy is a topic that spans so many facets from poverty to pollution to politics and having an opinion matters. I point out the topic of poverty and lack of electricity because cost efficient, reliable, clean and most importantly accessible energy is the goal. No energy source is truly free without risks and consequences and so it should be important that we weigh the risks.

Further reading here- biased on one side of the debate or another because understanding both sides is important.

Angst or Arithmetic? Why Germans are so Skeptical about Nuclear Energy

Solar lamps replace toxic kerosene in poorest countries

Time For Change

The truth about Germany’s nuclear phase-out