BEIJING — The crisis in Japan has revived anti-nuclear passions around the world, putting governments on the defensive and undermining the nuclear power industry’s recent renaissance as the clean energy of the future.
In the most dramatic move, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced Tuesday that all seven of the country’s nuclear power plants built before 1980 would be shut down, at least for now, as safety checks are conducted. The decision came one day after the government, facing strong public opposition to nuclear energy ahead of upcoming regional elections, suspended plans to extend the life of its aging plants.