Why nuclear opponents do not reach the climate youth

Two generations of Zurich climate protectors in conversation.

“We older people have to take responsibility for the nuclear waste,” says Jean-Jacques Fasnacht to Sarina Forestier.

Maurice Haas for NZZ

“Nördlich Lägern nuclear waste storage facility – not with us,” reads a poster held up by protesters. With their gray hair, sneakers and backpacks, they look like a senior hiking group. The protesters do not agree with the decision of Nagra, the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste. In September, she announced that the repository would be located in Stadel in the Zurich Unterland.

In the past, many people in Switzerland resisted nuclear waste storage. Only a dozen people gathered in Stadel, all over 50.

Do young people not care about the nuclear waste storage facility?

Sarina Forestier, 18 years old, Kanti student, lives in Bülach, just six kilometers from the planned repository. Forestier is a Juso member and climate activist. She takes part in climate strikes across Switzerland. As a member of the Zurich Unterland climate strike group, she also organizes demonstrations herself. Forestier says: “My life consists of school, politics, friends and a little dancing.”

Jean-Jacques Fasnacht has been fighting against nuclear technology for almost fifty years. He is co-president of Klar Schweiz, an association that advocates, among other things, the nuclear phase-out and resists final storage. Fasnacht lives in Benken in the Zurich Weinland and, although he is 72 years old, still works as a family doctor in Marthalen.

Jean-Jacques Fasnacht and Sarina Forestier meet for the first time on this sunny November day. Both fight for the environment, but in very different ways.

Ms. Forestier, have you ever demonstrated against a nuclear power plant repository?

Sarina Forestier: No never.

Why not?

I have not got the time. I only found out about some of the rallies afterwards. The fight against nuclear power is important, but other climate issues concern me more.

Mr. Fasnacht, how is it that young, politically committed people no longer demonstrate against nuclear waste storage?

Jean Jacques Fasnacht: Difficult to say. The fact is that the anti-nuclear movement is outdated and we have lost touch with the young.

Were there younger people in the boat in the past?

Carnival: Twenty years ago, many young people took part in our demonstrations. But there was generally more interest. Only 500 people took part in our last demo in August. Young people were in the minority. She doesn’t seem interested in the topic anymore. It hurts, because we’re actually not fighting for ourselves, we’re fighting for future generations.

Is it possible that your actions will bore the boys?

Carnival: We lack spontaneity. We’re a little screwed up.

Forestier: Most climate demos are not spontaneous either. They are sometimes planned months in advance. The problem is that we don’t even notice small demonstrations, like the anti-nuclear demonstration in August. The media are reporting on major climate strikes.

Ms. Forestier, you live in Bülach. Does it worry you that nuclear waste is being dumped nearby?

Forestier: Nice. But the technology worries me even more. We have seen often enough the catastrophes that nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons can cause. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any alternative to the repository. It is the safest option so far.

Carnival: no The burial of nuclear waste is the maximum expression of our throwaway society: in the ground with it and a lid on it. That will not do. Instead, you should build camps that can be opened again later. Ways must be developed to prepare nuclear waste differently. In its current form, the repository is not the safest option. That’s why we continue to fight it, regardless of location.

Forestier: I really appreciate that people like Mr. Fasnacht are committed to future generations. But I see it as a duty.

Why?

Forestier: Mr. Fasnacht’s generation built nuclear power plants. She is responsible for the nuclear waste. The older generation also has to solve the disposal problem.

Carnival: It’s correct. We older people must take responsibility for nuclear waste. At the same time, my hair stands on end when I hear that even Greta Thunberg is now working to extend the lifespan of nuclear power plants.

Forestier: As far as I’m concerned, nuclear power plants can be shut down today, I’m completely against this technology. With her statement, Greta Thunberg refers to Germany, where a lot of coal-based electricity is produced. There, a longer nuclear power plant runtime can only make sense to get away from coal.

In Switzerland, the demand for electrical energy is increasing. How do you intend to cover it without electricity imports and without nuclear energy?

Forestier: About wind turbines, photovoltaics and hydropower. Politicians must create the conditions today so that the nuclear power plants can be shut down as planned. But progress is just too slow.

Carnival: A radical switch to renewable energies is needed. That’s why I took part in the climate demonstration in Bern. I find it exciting that certain groups attract much more attention with their actions than we do with our small demonstrations.

Are mashed potatoes attacks on museum paintings the right way to speed up political processes?

Forestier: I generally support any kind of climate activism. The problem is that art has a high cultural value for many adults. Older people in particular feel personally attacked by such attacks. The anger is directed at the actions and not at the substantive demands of the climate activists.

Carnival: This is indeed a problem. Although art is extremely important to me, such attacks don’t annoy me. They express that something huge must be behind it. You don’t just do that like that! I share the young people’s plight, which is expressed in the new forms of protest: What is happening to our climate? What is the value of the paintings in our museums when the world perishes.

Forestier: Image attacks are also a criticism of our consumer society. They show that works of art are less important than the climate.

Carnival: The question is who do you upset with it? People who find such actions completely wrong must at least deal with the climate. I think people would rather be angry than ignore a big problem. Sometimes rousing actions are needed.

Do you see limits?

Carnival: For me, the limit is reached when the rights of others are restricted – or when it becomes dangerous. I find it too dangerous to stick yourself on a freeway.

Forestier: Of course, such actions are dangerous. But they show how desperate we are. Climate activists are risking their lives to shake people up.

What is the most important step against climate change?

Forestier: We need to make a radical switch to clean electricity.

Carnival: This goal cannot be achieved from one day to the next. The direct-democratic approach in Switzerland takes time. We have to keep the political process going.

Forestier: That’s too slow.

Carnival: Politically relevant processes always get going when something crazy happens: after the reactor accident in Fukushima, Switzerland decided to phase out nuclear power. Three years ago, when the youth movement “Fridays for Future” mobilized tens of thousands, Greens and Green Liberals in Berne grew enormously. Now we have the Ukraine war and the energy crisis. That is very negative – for the economy, for all of us. At the same time, renewable energies are gaining momentum. And maybe we’ll notice that we can get by with less.

Do we have to learn to give up?

Carnival: We can’t get around it. We live in a consumer society. It will therefore have to happen before it becomes obvious that happiness in life does not necessarily require an SUV or three cars. I am convinced that we can be satisfied with less.

Forestier: I don’t like the word renunciation at all. What we need to stop is overconsumption. Too much clothing and food ends up in the trash.

Ms. Forestier, you are calling for a rapid energy transition. What role does e-mobility play in this?

Forestier: Individual traffic must be fundamentally reduced. I find it absurd to commute to work by car from Bülach to Zurich every day. This is absolutely unnecessary. In Bülach we have fantastic train connections.

Public transport also needs electricity. Consequently, one would have to do without and live where one works.

Forestier: Public transport combined with a bicycle is the most sustainable form of mobility. I don’t think you have to do without it. It is much more important to use sustainable electricity from hydropower, wind or photovoltaics efficiently in private life. Then there will be no shortage of energy.

Carnival: It should still be possible to commute by car or public transport. I am convinced that we can make the transition to responsible energy production.

Despite the risks, nuclear power plants produce relatively clean electricity. Do you still advocate a total exit from nuclear technology research?

Carnival: Yes. Because it will be twenty to thirty years before the new nuclear power generation is ready to be announced. We should now use this time for the opportunities that we already have. It is a great opportunity for Switzerland to shine with innovations and to be more independent from other countries. The economy is also involved. And many nuclear power plant advocates are now realizing that the uranium does not come from the Swiss mountains.

How do you personally contribute to saving electricity?

Carnival: In our doctor’s office it was always 24 to 25 degrees warm. Now we have reduced the temperature to 21.5 degrees. The employees are in sweaters, the patients are very understanding. Driving less is difficult for me. We live in Benken and I commute to work in Marthalen. Recently, I sometimes cycle to the practice. That’s why I had to slow down my tightly timed rhythm of life a little. I realize that’s not so bad.

Forestier: I’ve long since gotten used to switching off electronic devices, taking a quick shower instead of a bath, traveling by train if possible and riding my bike.

Mr. Fasnacht, what has to happen so that you no longer take to the streets with banners?

I hope I stay moved. Because as long as there are people, there will be injustice. Only when we manage to find a balanced relationship with nature and treat each other with respect will I stop going out on the streets.

Ms. Forestier, will you still be protesting at the age of 72?

I hope I don’t have to resist as long as Mr. Fasnacht did until something is done about climate change worldwide. Since I am also committed to human rights and feminism, I will probably have to take to the streets for a long time.

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