According to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Europe must tackle energy problems together. They cannot be solved only from country to country, he told Handelsblatt on Friday. There will always be times when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing: “That’s why we need to build a European electricity grid as soon as possible,” explains Gates.
Research should also be done into new forms of electricity storage and nuclear fusion. “Because building a reliable, zero-emission power supply is one of the most difficult challenges facing humanity.”
Gate’s plea for nuclear power
Gates advised Germany not to close the remaining nuclear power plants as planned and not to phase out nuclear power: according to him, nuclear waste should not be a reason not to use nuclear energy. It can be safely stored in deep wells in suitable regions for hundreds of millions of years: “France will build modern reactors, Germany will not. I hope Germany remains open to the technology,” Gates said.
In contrast to the traffic light government in Berlin, nuclear energy is seen in several European countries as a transitional technology to make the transition to renewable energy sources with minimal greenhouse gas emissions. And the EU has designated nuclear energy as sustainable.
However, this move is controversial: Greenpeace is now also taking legal action against the inclusion of natural gas and nuclear energy on the EU list of climate-friendly investments. Austria had already filed a lawsuit against EU taxonomy rules in October. In July, the European Parliament cleared the way for the controversial eco-label. The taxonomy is intended to provide investors with guidance as to which technology qualifies as sustainable. It is therefore of great importance to the financial sector.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
