Cracks are beginning to show in France’s strong base of support for nuclear energy. For the first time, politicians, including Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, are talking about cutting back on nuclear power. Jospin has said that France should reduce its dependence on nuclear from 80 percent to 60 percent of the nation’s energy supply, and he has suggested looking at diversifying energy sources. Forty-seven percent of French citizens polled in December 1998 thought nuclear power would be the most important source of energy in the country in 10 years, down from 56 percent in 1996.
