We posted before on Matt Yglesias’ point that “in theory you could substitute renewable energy for nuclear power” but that in practice, less nuclear equals more coal and other dirty energy sources.

In the same line, see this from yesterday on the environmental cost of Germany’s nuclear scale down:

“Germany’s plan to shut all its nuclear power plants by 2022 will add up to 40 million tones of carbon dioxide emissions annually as the country turns to fossil fuels, analysts said on Tuesday….analysts say the move will also see an increase in planet-warming greenhouse gases equivalent to the annual emissions of Slovakia, as Germany uses gas and coal to plug a power generation gap, both of which are more carbon-emitting than nuclear power.

That calculation implied some skepticism with the coalition’s assertion it would cut power demand and expand the use of renewables such as wind and solar power.”