Nuclear Energy

Therefore, despite all the optimism shown by the international nuclear industry and its
official spokespersons, not only is it presently in decline, all indications are that this trend is going
to continue in the near future.
Part II: Overview of the Nuclear Industry in North America and Western
Europe
We now take a closer look at the prospects for a “nuclear renaissance” in the United States,
Canada and Western Europe, the region that was at the centre of the first boom in nuclear energy
and where 63% of the world’s operating reactors are located (as on August 1, 2009). This is also the
region where public opinion is most informed and the debate is the most intense on nuclear energy.
We are deliberately ignoring taking a look at the situation in China and Russia, the two countries
where the maximum number of nuclear plants are under construction at present.
Reasons for ignoring China
Speaking at an International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Energy in Beijing on April
19, 2009, Li Ganjie, the director of China’s National Nuclear Safety Administration, warned that,
“if we are not fully aware of the sector’s over-rapid expansions, it will threaten construction quality
and operation safety of nuclear power plants”. cclxxxix He also stated that China’s nuclear industry is
challenged on all fronts: shortage of human resources; insufficient capability of nuclear power
research, development, design and mastery of high-end technology; lack of capability in
manufacturing and installing of facility; inadequate management; and weak nuclear safety
supervision. ccxc
Apart from these stray news, not much is known about the safety situation at China's nuclear
plants. The dictatorship prevents any information from coming out. The global nuclear industry is
more than happy with this state of affairs, as it is only concerned with nuclear plant orders. Not only
that, it can hold up China as an example for countries like India to duplicate, and so it is keen to
spread the belief that all is fine with China's nuclear plants. Energy consultant Mycle Schneider
comments: “Everything goes black when I consider that 16 nuclear plants are being built
simultaneously in China, and all we hear is there are no problems there.” ccxci
The reason for Schneider's harsh comment is not far to seek. China's attempt at constructing
all kinds of giant projects at reckless speed has pushed the country to the edge of a monumental
environmental crisis, perhaps the worst in world history. China’s coal-fired plants and giant heavy
industry complexes freely dump their toxic wastes into the environment, poisoning the land by a
deadly brew of chemicals and metals. One consequence: sixteen of the world's 20 dirtiest cities are
located in the People's Republic. The inhabitants of every third metropolis are forced to breathe
polluted air, causing the deaths of an estimated 750,000 Chinese each year. Half of China's 696
cities and counties suffer from acid rain. Two-thirds of its major rivers and lakes have become
cesspools and more than 340 million people do not have access to clean drinking water. The
Yangtze River, once China's proud artery of life, is biologically dead for long stretches. Cancer
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