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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Damien Gayle

A long overdue moment? The UK greens pushing for the nuclear option

People watch as a nuclear reactor for Hinkley Point C power station arrives by barge last month at Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett, Somerset.
People watch as a nuclear reactor for Hinkley Point C power station arrives by barge last month at Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett, Somerset. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

On 21 May 2022, after hours of impassioned debate, members of Finland’s Green party voted to make theirs the first in the world to back nuclear power. Greens in Finland would now campaign not only for the lifespan of current reactors to be extended but also for new plants, with the technology recognised by their manifesto as “sustainable energy”.

It was a decision that upended decades of environmentalist orthodoxy – by campaigners who, in many cases, cut their teeth in opposition to nuclear. And, for Tea Törmänen, it was the culmination of years of campaigning.

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