Switzerland, my other home country, is in the midst of an energy discussion that transports me back to the 70s: Whether or not to build nuclear power plants. I was a teenager when this discussion raged in and around Basel because authorities were planning on building a nuclear power station about thirty kilometers away. They were sit ins, demonstrations, and a huge movement against nuclear power. On the other hand, there was the nuclear power industry, stating that this is the safest way to boil water.

Now, thirty years later, there is still no definitive answer to the key question whether a safe disposal of nuclear waste is possible or not. The newest argument for proponents of nuclear energy is that this is a clean energy alternative to coal-fueled power stations; a necessity in the fight against global warming.

I am still against the use of nuclear power because of the inherit danger and the -in my view- unsolved issue of how to deal with its waste. I am concerned that President Obama and others are putting it back on the table.

The public discussion in Switzerland might be a good indicator of arguments to come in the U.S. A good overview can be found here.

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