Country: Germany

Topic: Nuclear Waste Effect

Council: World Health Organization (WHO)

Delegate: Aliyah AlHuneidi

Nuclear waste has become a huge issue in Germany, nuclear contamination

causes many health effects on humans, and it also effects the environment. In
Germany, nuclear power accounted for 11.63% of the supply of electricity in 2017
compared to 22.4% in 2010. With the first commercial plant coming online in 1969,
German nuclear power started for experimental reactors in the 1950's and 1960's.
On the other hand, Germany has a total of seventeen reactors and seven nuclear
power plants, but the country of Germany is phasing out and eight reactors where
shut back in 2011. Germany's public opinion about nuclear power is broadly opposed
with virtually no support for building new nuclear plants.

Germany is phasing out nuclear power, since Germany looks after the health
of its people. The country of Germany decided to phase out after the 1998 federal
elections, but unfortunately it did not stand by its decision and the phase out was
canceled in 2009. Forthcoming, in 2011 the phase out was on again and eight
reactors were shut down immediately. In the aftermath of a public outcry following
the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, Ms. Merkel vowed to shut down all German
nuclear reactors by 2022. Yet, critics say that moving to renewable energy and
phasing out nuclear power at the same time was too optimistic. Germany was forced
to turn to coal with renewable unable to make up the shortfall.

“The priorities are the wrong way round: first we need to get out of coal, and
then out of nuclear power.” Herbert Diess. Germany is one of the world's leaders in
renewable energy production and currently produces 47% of its energy from
renewable sources. But it also produces 30% of coal, and experts warn the
renewable sources are not yet ready to replace the 13% that nuclear power
currently generates.

“Nuclear energy should continue to be part of our energy policy because only it
can meet the base load, and is cheap and carbon-free,” Wolfgang Reitzle, the
chairman of Continental and the multinational Linde industrial group, said recently.
“Anyone who is in favor of low-carbon energy generation and guaranteed energy
supply security cannot avoid nuclear energy,” Klaus-Peter Willsch, an MP from Mrs.
Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU).

“In terms of climate protection, nuclear energy is the cleanest way of generating
energy.” But it remains implacably opposed to the German Green Party, which made
sweeping gains in the European elections and recently overtook the party of Mrs.
Merkel to take first place in the germane opinion polls. “We are for a world without
nuclear energy,” the party’s manifesto says. “We want the dangerous reactors
around Europe and across the world to be shut down immediately.”

To conclude, the country of Germany has decided to phase out nuclear energy,
subsequent to the health of their people. The main goal of Germany is to shut down
all reactors found in Germany by 2022. Involuntary Germany had to turn to coal to
make up the shortfall of energy instead of the nuclear energy. On the other hand,
Germany is one of the world's leaders in renewable energy production and it
currently produces half of its energy from renewable resources. Lastly, the country
of Germany wants the dangerous reactors around Europe and across the world to be
shut down immediately to reduce the danger of its wastes on the human health.
Citation:

“Final Project Nuclear Energy Position Paper.” Scribd, Scribd,

www.scribd.com/document/57416407/Final-Project-Nuclear-Energy-Position-
Paper.

Huggler, Justin. “Germany Faces Growing Calls to Delay Phase-out of Nuclear

Energy.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 6 June 2019,
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/06/germany-faces-growing-calls-delay-
phase-out-nuclear-energy/.

“Javascript Required!” Nuclear Power in Germany - World Nuclear Association,

www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-g-
n/germany.aspx.

“Radiation Health Effects.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 2 Aug. 2019,

www.epa.gov/radiation/radiation-health-effects#:~:targetText=Ionizing
%20radiation&targetText=Exposure%20to%20very%20high%20levels,as
%20cancer%20and%20cardiovascular%20disease.