The World in 2030

The World in 2030 177
France, on the other hand, produces 80 per cent of its
energy in nuclear power stations. As The Guardian reported
in March 2007 this is causing difficulties for EU policy
makers:
Divisions over nuclear power and renewable energy
threatened to derail the EU’s campaign to assume
a global leadership role in the fight against climate
change at the bloc’s spring summit which began last
night.
Warning that ‘it is closer to five past midnight than
five to midnight’ for international measures to combat
global warming, Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel,
chairing the meeting, urged EU leaders to ‘deliver
results for our grandchildren’ by making Europe the
world’s first low-carbon economy via a unilateral 20
per cent cut in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
But France, backed by several east European countries,
insisted carbon-free nuclear power be included
within the EU energy mix and rejected Ms. Merkel’s
proposal to make a 20 per cent target for renewable
energy binding on all 27 members. 340
Nuclear Power
Nuclear power generation is a topic that is extremely divisive
within environmental groups and within governments. Many
environmentalists have strong emotional attachments to anti-