The nuclear power emergency at a Japanese atomic power plant last March could lead to a major re-examination in European countries that are already building such plants or are considering a shift from fossil (化石) fuels to nuclear energy to fight climate change. With the terrible accident 25 years ago in Chemobyl (切尔偌贝利) beginning to fade in European memories, governments across Europe have grown more open to using more nuclear power. Enthusiasm for nuclear power is particularly strong in Eastern Europe, which wants to move away from dependence on Russian oil and natural gas, and on heavily polluting coal-fired power plants. Eastern governments have begun improving existing nuclear plants or are building or planning new ones. But as Japan struggled to deal with her nuclear crisis, discussion about the good and the bad of nuclear power became heated.
In Germany, nuclear power has been a repeatedly argued and widely felt issue for decades. Up to 70 percent of Germans oppose nuclear power. Recently, about 40,000 people turned out to form a human chain near a nuclear plant to protest government policies on nuclear power. "The accident in Japan could lead to a major rethink in Europe," said Henrik Paulitz of the International Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear War. "Governments have not been quite open about the safety levels of the nuclear power plants."
Chancellor (总理) Angela Merkel heads a center-right unity government that supports the use of nuclear power. Her government recently made a disputed decision to extend the life of the country's 17 nuclear power plants by an average of 12 years. She will now face more pressure to change that policy. She called an emergency meeting with her senior ministers, “We know how safe our plants are and that we do not face a threat from such a serious earthquake or violent tidal wave," Mrs. Merkel said after the meeting. "We will learn what we can from the events in Japan.”