The excessive stockpiling of fuel rods at Fukushima only arose because pressure from anti-nuclear groups has made the safe dispersal of nuclear waste so difficult. But the effects of this unique accident on the renewed drive for the nuclear energy that the world so desperately needs may be seriously damaging. In the forefront of those countries which have now responded by closing down reactors or abandoning plans for new ones is Germany, where Angela Merkel was booed in the Bundestag for suggesting that we should move on to “the age of renewable energy as soon as possible”. At least here in Britain our energy secretary, Chris Huhne, has so far refrained from saying anything so fatuous; although how he is going to persuade our German and French-owned electricity companies to build the nuclear power plants needed to keep Britain’s lights on will be more of a puzzle than ever.