In Europe, the number of nuclear plants is declining, as old plants are decommissioned and public opinion in even traditionally pro-nuclear countries like France begins to shift: almost two-thirds of the French now believe that nuclear power stands in the way of an increase in renewable energy. In Italy, more than 90% of voters rejected Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s plan for a return to nuclear-power generation, and the Japanese government recently announced that it plans to phase out nuclear energy in stages.
随着老厂的退役，就连像法国这样传统上支持核能应用的国家公众舆论也开始转向，欧洲的核电厂数量正在下降：近三分之二的法国人现在认为核电阻碍了可再生能源的应用。意大利超过90%的选民不赞成西尔维奥·布鲁斯科尼总理恢复核能发电的计划，而日本政府不久前宣布了分阶段逐步淘汰核能的计划。