Epetition: shut down nuclear power plants immediately

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petition text:
we demand that the german bundestag withdraw the life extensions of german nuclear power plants decided upon by amending the atomic energy act of december 8, 2010.
furthermore, it should decide to immediately and definitively shut down all german nuclear power plants and all nuclear facilities not necessary for storing nuclear waste.
it should call on the federal government to work in the eu for an as quickly as possible to decommission all nuclear facilities and make a joint switch to decentralized, renewable energies.
justification
the dramatic accidents in several japanese nuclear reactors in march 2011 are a reminder that a fatal catastrophe is possible at any time.
nuclear power is uncontrollable. no safety devices protect against natural disasters and failure of all emergency systems like in japan, human and technical failure like in chernobyl, plane crashes or attacks.
in view of the devastating consequences, no probability calculation can suffice. the risk of accidents also increases with the age of the reactors, not least because older reactor types lack important safety reserves. nevertheless, the federal government has further extended the operating times of the nuclear power plants in germany, which the short-term suspension does not change.
in addition to the risks of reactor operation, there is the as yet unresolved question of final storage. there is no solution worldwide for the nuclear waste that has been radiating for millions of years. the asse ii and morsleben nuclear waste storage facilities have shown that nuclear waste cannot even be stored safely for decades. when uranium is mined, huge areas are contaminated with radioactivity and the livelihoods of many people are destroyed. this is also why nuclear technology is irresponsible.
a consistent decision does not require any further “testing of safety standards”. the painful experiences with nuclear power, the knowledge of its risks, dangers and deadly side effects allow only one conclusion: nuclear power plants must be shut down immediately.
a shutdown of all german nuclear power plants is possible at short notice. on the one hand, the amount of electricity produced in germany already exceeds domestic demand. on the other hand, there is also short-term savings potential. above all, the expansion of renewable energies is slowed down by nuclear power because nuclear power plants can only be used inflexibly to cover the base load. they cannot adapt to the ever-fluctuating energy demand or to the current energy supply from renewable sources.
however, just shutting down the existing systems in germany is not enough - nuclear energy remains a global problem with global risks. even if nuclear reactors are no longer operated in germany, german companies are still involved in the construction and operation of nuclear power plants worldwide. german electricity suppliers feed electricity from foreign nuclear power plants into the german power grid. the federal republic is involved in international treaties and organizations that promote nuclear energy.
the federal republic must therefore do more to achieve a global exit from nuclear energy than just shutting down domestic power plants. the conversion of the european nuclear funding treaty euratom into a treaty for the joint switch to decentralized, renewable energies is a first, concrete measure on the way to the global phase-out of nuclear energy.