On this day in history, on May 30, 2011, the German government voted for a nuclear power phase-out by 2022 and for the pursuit of renewable energy alternatives.

The vote for a nuclear power phase-out in Germany came in the wake of Japan’s post-tsunami nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Eight of the seventeen operating reactors in Germany were permanently shut down following the 2011 disaster. The remaining nine were scheduled for phased-out by 2022. In the meantime, Germany wants to double its share of energy stemming from water, wind, sun and/or biomass. Other European countries have also begun to reduce their dependency on nuclear power. Currently, less than one-fifth of the global energy consumption comes from renewable resources.

The abandoned city of Pripyat with the Chernobyl power plant in the distance

The accident at Three Mile Island in 1979 and the disaster at Chernobyl in1986 played key roles in halting additional new nuclear plant construction in many countries. However, not all countries favor renewable alternative energy over nuclear power. China, South Korea, India, and Russia still have a number of new reactors under construction.

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com. Walled-In is a story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War.