Nuclear power's down but not out after Fukushima

Fission may suddenly be out of fashion. But the world cannot afford to scrap plans for advanced, new-generation reactors

The crisis at Japan's Fukushima-Daiichi plant has triggered a reassessment of nuclear energy safety. But many countries will find it hard to shun a technology that is pivotal to meeting electricity demand and cutting carbon emissions. While the reactor withstood March's earthquake, shutting down as it was supposed to, the ensuing tsunami swamped the plant, causing the failure of the generators powering equipment designed to stop the radioactive core from overheating. The resulting radiation release, following a series of explosions, appeared to be relatively minor (at the time of writing), but has unsettled public sentiment towards nuclear power around the world. Faced with long-term grounds