Rice Needles Germany On Green Credentials At G8 Meet - AFP

[hatrack]

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice aimed a jab at Germany's environmental credentials Wednesday ahead of an expected showdown at next week's Group of Eight summit. Rice said countries like Germany, which prides itself on its green image, should respect the US policy of looking to technology to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

"One has to wonder if you're really concerned about greenhouse gas emissions why you aren't interested in nuclear power," she told reporters at the end of a meeting of G8 foreign ministers in the eastern German city of Potsdam. "We are interested in nuclear power and I know that's a controversial issue in some parts of Europe. But it just shows that there may be different solutions for different countries."

Germany is implementing a gradual phase-out of its nuclear power plants, expected to be completed by around 2020.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has staked Germany's 12-month G8 presidency on hammering out a binding agreement between the leading industrial powers on limiting the emission of greenhouse gases. The chances of that happening at the summit of G8 leaders in Heiligendamm in northern Germany on June 6-8 look increasingly slim, with stark differences appearing between G8 nations on how to limit greenhouse gases.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Rice_Needles_Germany_On_Green_Credentials_At_G8_Meet_999.html

[LSK]

1. because they are moving to solar???????

:grr:

[phantom power]

2. What Germany is building is 26 new coal plants.

It's painful to say that I agree with a BushCo tool like Rice, but I happen to agree with her on this issue.

[LSK]

3. didnt know about that

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L14553799.htm

[phantom power]

4. Sad, but true.

Coal and/or natural gas tend to replace nuclear plants, because they are base-load energy. When you shut down a gigawatt nuclear plant that provides baseload power 24/7, you don't replace it with wind or solar, that cannot run 24/7.

[AlecBGreen]

5. so...

we need superconductors...QUICK!