The Long Wait

Fifteen years is too long to wait for the new nuclear power stations to come on stream. If we are to tackle climate change, we have to start now.

WHEN GREEN ISSUES get onto the political agenda it is often the case that vested business or political interests seek to occupy the space they create. The companies promoting genetically modified crops, for example, sought to gain public consent and political backing for their products by hijacking people's concerns over pesticides, disappearing wildlife and hunger. They said all of these challenges could be addressed with their products. The big issue now is climate change, and a different interest group has mobilised to make the most of the new opportunity: the nuclear industry.