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Annexus Quam A
Annexus Quam Nov 24, 2011 23:40:24
Replying to Littlestone

You are so right!

And yet, the people of Japan and their economy have not gone down the drain while they have been functioning with (right now this month) only 3-4 nuclear stations, correct me if I'm wrong, out of a total of 50 something. All of them are expected to be switched off in the next couple of months and the country will not come to a halt.

Even though it's only for maintenance, tests, etc and they will eventually be turned back on, (dear pro-nuclear sceptics out there in the world), it is possible to do without 15% of your energy, and all thanks to social discipline.

Last summer in Japan wasn't too bad after all. It's just that salarymen had to take off their jackets as the air con was not at 15-18 celsius.

I even heard on NHK last summer that switching off all of the can/drinks machines in Japan's streets would save another 5-6%. Of course, they didn't do it in the end.

Energy efficiency is just plain common sense.
And we haven't even started.

A Annexus Quam
Annexus Quam Nov 25, 2011 12:46:05
Replying to Annexus Quam

The number of nuclear stations operating varies from month to month but I'll correct myself; this news just in:

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20111125_09.html

The question whether they have replaced or will replace some of this with gas and coal is another matter but reports from last summer (there was not enough time to get the Russian gas) suggest that people were told what to do because there would be a shortage and they did. And energy was and is being saved. My in-laws themselves did turn down the knobs and, as far as I know, so did a large percentage of the Japanese population.

In the face of THAT immediate unexpected short-term disaster, people work shoulder to shoulder.

But in the face of an even greater long-term global energy / environmental threat?

The clock keeps ticking.