Sweden goes for green as Nordics mull energy future

[Stockholm]

By Simon Johnson

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Twenty years after Sweden alerted the world to the meltdown at Chernobyl, it aims to phase out nuclear power and end dependency on fossil fuels, putting the country in the vanguard of green energy policy.

With soaring oil prices, rising demand, uncertain supply and the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions, energy is in focus and the European Union is calling for coordinated policy.

But the Nordic region -- united by history, a shared concern for the environment and a harsh climate which puts heavy demand on power -- is divided on energy, not least nuclear power.

When a reactor at a nuclear plant in the Ukrainian town of Chernobyl exploded in 1986 and spewed radioactivity across Europe, the Nordic region was on the front-line: its pristine lakes and forests were polluted and Arctic reindeer meat and lichen contaminated.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-04-21T013257Z_01_L18306615_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENERGY-NORDIC.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13

[Odin2005]

1. The Euro-Greens need to stop being NIMBYists...

...and start acting like real enviromentalists. The ones that want to phase out Nuclear have no brains.

[GOPBasher]

3. I agree with you. Nuclear is necessary.

It's not perfect, but it's MUCH better than continuing to burn fossil fuels.

[Massacure]

2. If they manage to get rid of fossil fuels without nuclear power, then good

But I won't believe it until I see it.

[rfkrfk]

4. this is rubbish, promises made, then forgotten

once upon a time, one or the other country decieded
to get rid of nuke power. of course, nobody believed them, then
or now.