When Russian troops shelled the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine on Friday, many feared it could cause a Chernobyl-like catastrophe. But even before this event, the status of nuclear energy within Europe has been a massive point of contention. Since the Fukushima disaster in 2011, European Union states have bolstered their guidelines for nuclear power safety, but some have been trying to phase it out altogether. Last month, the European Commission outlined how nuclear energy could be labeled a “green” investment (presuming the plants can safely dispose radioactive waste). Critics labeled the move as “greenwashing,” and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer tweeted that “Nuclear power is neither ‘green’ nor sustainable.” So how might this latest scare in Ukraine change Europe’s nuclear calculus, if at all? We take a look at which EU states produce the most nuclear heat, and how that’s changed since 2011.
More from GZERO Media
Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: What do the lone wolf attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas reveal about America’s divisions? In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer looks into the symbolism of recent tragedies and their impact on national unity.
First, they came for the H-1B visa. Now, MAGA activists are pushing to end the US’ Optional Practical Training, or OPT, program, calling it a“guest worker program” that acts as a backdoor to the H-1B and threatens American jobs.
President Biden is expected to block Nippon Steel's $14 billion acquisition of US Steel on national security grounds, with his decision expected as early as Friday.
It’s a standoff. Officers from South Korea’s anti-corruption authority arrived at the residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s on Friday morning to serve an arrest warrant over his attempt to impose martial law last month. Confronted by a crowd of Yoon supporters and a military unit, they were unable to execute the warrant.
On Wednesday, a Syrian delegation that included Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, and intelligence chief Anas Khattab arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, for thenew Syrian government’s first diplomatic trip abroad.
As US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, leaders in the world’s two largest trading blocs — China and the EU — are revealing their starkly different strategies for dealing with his “America First” trade policies.
“We’re confident, at this point, that there are no accomplices,” said FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia on Thursday at a press briefing about Shamsud-Din Jabbar.