Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-29-Speech-4-225-000"
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"en.20110929.18.4-225-000"2
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"The Rio+20 resolution that we have just voted on is an important element in the development of a common EU position ahead of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in Rio in June 2012. It is, however, a pity that when the resolution was being drafted, many of us succumbed to the temptation to confuse issues that are part of EU internal policy, and regarding which there is no common EU position.
Perhaps the most glaring example of this was Article 46, which reminds people of the risks related to nuclear energy, mentioning the accident at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima in March as an example. There is nothing wrong in this: the facts have to be acknowledged. The text, however, then called for the phasing out of existing nuclear power plants and opposed the building of new nuclear power stations around the world generally. Such statements are likely to reduce the European Parliament’s credibility dramatically. Fortunately, Parliament did not accept this sort of total ban, and my thanks go to my fellow Members for that.
Although the accident at Fukushima was very regrettable, I would like to point out that, with modern technology and know-how, nuclear power is of enormous help in the fight against climate change. If nuclear power were now to be banned entirely, in a hurry and with enormous fuss, the effects of using fossil fuels would increase exponentially, since there would still be no credible, fossil-free form of energy that would compete with nuclear power.
The actual number of victims of the accident at Fukushima will only be seen after many years have passed, when estimates will be made of how the increase in fossil fuels that resulted from abandoning the use of nuclear power in such a hurry has impacted on such phenomena as increased air pollution and deaths from fine particles."@en1
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