While the nuclear industry continues to claim all is well, there are no safety problems, and Fukushima will harm no-one, the reality of the situation is otherwise.

“The situation is much worse for the industry than after Chernobyl,” said Mycle Schneider, co-author of the report, referring to the 1986 accident in Ukraine. “New projects have a very dull future, but it will put enormous pressure on extending lifetimes and that raises obvious safety issues.”

At 11% of all electricity generation, now would be the time to seek other options. Instead of going forward with something so risky and unsustainable, we must move on to the true renewable energy sources of the future. This will not only provide safer electricity, it will also address the energy and environmental justice issues raised by nuclear power. Every step of the nuclear fuel cycle is toxic. We must move on to better choices.

Bloomberg News l Kari Lundgren  July 06, 2012

World nuclear power production dropped by a record 4.3 percent last year as the global financial crisis and the Fukushima disaster in Japan prompted plant shutdowns and slowed construction of new sites.

Reactors generated 2,518 terawatt-hours of electricity, down from 2,630 terawatt-hours in 2010, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2012 published today. Atomic power accounted for 11 percent of all electricity generation.

The meltdown of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501)’s Fukushima Dai- Ichi plant in March last year drove countries including Germany, Switzerland and Taiwan to announce their withdrawal from nuclear power. Global output was further restricted as nations put new- build plans on hold amid safety concern and economic stagnation, forcing utilities to study extending the lives of current sites.

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