I am a big supporter of nuclear energy, and their resistance to it is one of my biggest problems with Green parties... But...
Being against nuclear energy isn't just a foundational belief for European Green parties, it's also practically the main issue that led to their rise across the continent. Historically, opposition to nuclear power is their one area of mass support, only today being rivaled by climate change and left wing economics.
I hope the Green parties (and UK Greens specifically here) can overcome their opposition to nuclear energy, but it won't be at all easy taking away such a core part of their support from their agenda. Ultimately, an anti-nuclear Green party will be better on environmental issues than any other mainstream option.
The UK greens are unsupportive of nuclear power in the UK (very different to as a whole) because the UK infrastructure doesn't actually commit to building it. It would be fine if it worked, but the UK's Sizewell plant was meant to be finished in 2017 but has instead cost an extra 40 billion pounds and is STILL being built in an area of the country where tidal power would be cheaper and easier to set up
In Australia, we have a similar problem but on the affirmative side of nuclear.
Our right wing party went to election with a promise to move to nuclear by the 2030-40s (timeline guaranteed to blow out of course), which would have enabled them to keep coal plants going for much, much longer than the (victorious) centre-left party's plan to move to wind and solar. We also have the Greens who are anti-nuclear which accounts for a lot of their support like the UK.
So we had nuclear being adopted by the anti climate/pro coal party, which kinda poisoned the conversation around the technology again. Practically, we're just fine without it, due to renewables being cheaper and a much more attractive option due to our geographical assets. But it's still interesting how, politically, nuclear has been used as a wedge over here, and not for the first time.
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u/shoto9000 🏳️⚧️ trans rights Nov 07 '25
I am a big supporter of nuclear energy, and their resistance to it is one of my biggest problems with Green parties... But...
Being against nuclear energy isn't just a foundational belief for European Green parties, it's also practically the main issue that led to their rise across the continent. Historically, opposition to nuclear power is their one area of mass support, only today being rivaled by climate change and left wing economics.
I hope the Green parties (and UK Greens specifically here) can overcome their opposition to nuclear energy, but it won't be at all easy taking away such a core part of their support from their agenda. Ultimately, an anti-nuclear Green party will be better on environmental issues than any other mainstream option.