jazeera. sri lanka's disgraced president is back home. he was blamed for pushing sri lanka towards financial disaster. the government ran out of foreign reserves and was unable to pay for imports, leading to shortages. supporters of argentina's vice president gathered in buenos aires after christina fernandez to kirchner survived an

assassination attempt. a man pointed a pistol letter, but the gun did not fire. the head of the u.n.'s atomic watchdog who just returned from a ukraine nuclear plant says to members of his team will now be stationed there permanently. there are fears continued shelling in the vicinity good cause nuclear disaster. >> we have seen military activity around the plant and i was able to see myself, and my team, impact tolls -- impact holes and markings on buildings. that means the physical integrity of the facility has been violated, not once, but several times. >> the situation is extremely

complex, challenging and will continue to require permanent support and monitoring that we are trying to provide now. >> the g-7 group of nations have agreed to set a price cap on russian oil, hoping it will hit moscow bus a bi -- hit moscow's ability to fund the war in ukraine. the u.s. state department approved a potential $1.1 billion arms sale to taiwan including antimissile systems. tensions have been high since u.s. house speaker nancy pelosi visited the island last month, prompting chinese military drills around taiwan. "inside story" is next. ♪

♪ >> back to nuclear energy. from europe to asia, countries are building nuclear plants to reduce blackouts, but is it the right decision? this is "inside story." ♪ >> hello, and welcome to the program. europeans are facing major increases in energy bills driven by russia curbing gas supplies to the continent. natural gas prices continue to rise in europe and are now 10 times more expensive than a year ago. that has prompted several leading governments including

france and britain to prioritize expanding their nuclear energy programs. and the war in ukraine is adding to the urgency. european politicians feel under pressure to act together on energy to help free the region from dependence on russian gas. some countries are already funding relief measures to help people pay their bills. in the u.k., outgoing prime minister boris johnson pledged more than 800 million u.s. dollars for construction of a new nuclear power plant. johnson said he is confident the project will get over the line, because it will be madness not to. he added it would create tens of thousands of jobs and also power 6 million homes. it would also fix energy needs not just of this generation, but of the next. last week, the czech republic announced it would convene an emergency meeting of european

union energy ministers this month to seek a block-wide agreement on surging power costs. the european commission has classified some natural gas and nuclear projects as green to help that happen, but austria is fighting back, including by making a legal complaint. denmark and luxembourg share its views. france derives 70% of its electricity from nuclear plants and is leading a pro-nuclear faction that is supported by a group of eu states including poland, hungary, the czech republic, bulgaria, slovakia and finland. the eu has put most of its focus on countries reducing their gas consumption. it has imported more gas from the middle east than the u.s., but even with these measures, demand is expected to remain strong, and prices, high. >> the electricity market is not

any a functioning market, because there is one actor, putin, who is systematically trying to destroy it and manipulate it. we really have to react to that and now, that is what we are addressing the composition of the electricity market. >> renewed interest in nuclear power reflects changes globally. the shift is notable in germany, which has come under pressure from neighbors to keep its last three nuclear plants operating. in the u.s. state of california, politicians approved a measure to enable the state to keep its remaining nuclear plant operating for another five years. japan has also signaled a shift back to nuclear energy, 11 years after the fukushima disaster. tokyo plans to extend the lifespans of aging reactors and

develop new ones. china is planning to build at least 150 new reactors in the next 15 years. that is more than the rest of the world has built in the past 35 years. ♪ let's bring in our guests. from lengthen, jonathan cobb, senior analyst at the world nuclear association. from scotland, a senior specialist in greenpeace east stacia and filled chaplain is deputy editor of nuclear intelligence weekly and bureau chief for energy intelligence. welcome. jonathan, is it safe to say that it is because of soaring energy prices that many countries are rethinking their policies, opting to move towards nuclear energy, which was abandoned a few years ago?

>> i think what has happened with the energy crisis that is affecting some parts of the world has added to the impetus to move forward building new nuclear capacity. before that, climate change had been something that had already started to reignite tension on nuclear energy for countries who haven't built it for some time. but the energy crisis has raised interest because of concerns over the reliance on fragile fossil fuel supply chains, chains that have caused incredible increases in prices. it really is an advantageous situation that the same names in terms of climate drivers -- low carbon forms of electricity and energy like nuclear and renewables, they are also the solutions that can help provide more stable and resilient energy supply chains. >> you have many countries saying that, with the upcoming

winter and the supply crunch, there is no way we can cope with this. and that the risks from that in particular outweigh any fallout from moving towards embracing nuclear energy. do you think this is a wise decision? >> this is obstinately not the right decision. on the reality is a lot more complicated. take for example france. it has over 70% of its electricity generated by nuclear. they are moving into winter facing an energy crisis because currently, more than half of the reactor fleet is shut down. but a quarter of the reactors are not going to restart because they are aging and corroding. so, the energy crisis that has been triggered by the russian illegal invasion of ukraine is an energy crisis, but there is no plans for nuclear in coming months that will change that. we clets of headlines about

countries reassessing the viability of nuclear power. those realities, if those reactors were built, would be a decade or more. so, they are nothing to solve any energy prices that is currently a reality. >> when you have a country like japan, which continues to be beholden by what happened with the fukushima disaster, saying they will start investing more in new been a power -- more in nuclear power, how do you see this decision? is it about soaring prices triggering companies to -- triggering countries to rethink energy decisions? >> about japan specifically, the government, almost since the day of fukushima, has pushed for reactors to be restarted. the problem is getting local consent, if that is her

question. the current president says he wants to increase the amount of nuclear generation happening, but it doesn't mean there is a switch he can pull and all these reactors will start. so, it is still going to be a struggle for japan to ramp up their nuclear generation in the short-term. >> jonathan, do you buy into the justification you get from these countries that say this time, we have smaller, safer reactors, life is going to be easier and it is much better than before, and the potential for a radiation disaster going to be less than before? >> smaller nuclear -- smaller nuclear reactors offer advantages, that is true. but we need to take advantage now of more sources of nuclear energy as part of a long-term

strategy to improve permanently our energy systems to make them low carbon insecure. separately, there are steps that can be taken for the next two or three years maybe, that will need to cope with the emergency situation we have in terms of soaring prices. in the case of france, it is not the case that all those reactors are shut because of corrosion compa -- corrosion, some are shut down because of regularly maintenance in the summer -- because of regular maintenance in the summer when generation is low and those would come back online to meet energy needs in the winter. >> this is happening against a backdrop of international concerns about safety at the sen. reed: you nuclear power -- at the ukraine nuclear power plant which is the largest in europe. even with those concerns, you

have to assess that public opinion is now more receptive to the idea of investing more in nuclear power. >> i have just come back from the ukraine war. you see what happens when nuclear goes wrong. we are still in a situation where things could go terribly wrong in ukraine. nuclear power cannot compete in the marketplace. so, we find that nuclear power operators, utilities, the industry, are spending enormous amounts of money and effort to say they are essential to the de -carbonized world we need. the reality is, they are losing up to renewables. in the 1970's, the international atomic energy agency said, maybe 2000 reactors by the year 2000. we are those arguments then. renewables were not available on the scale they are today.

in 2020 in europe, more energy was generated from renewables and bose -- from renewables then both fossils and nuclear. it won't change the reality, which is that you have to de -carbonized as fast as possible, you invest in renewables. that is the crisis the energy is facing and they are doing a good job of selling their technology, but in reality, we will see the end of nuclear power. >> when you look at the map globally, you see more countries returning to nuclear energy. and they are building new reactors, or extending the lifespan of the aging reactors. what are we talking about here and what are risks that come with refurbishing old reactors?

>> the near-term increases or extends nuclear capacity in places like belgium or germany or california most recently, where they made policy u-turns to extend the life of reactors. there are risks. the older the reactors get, the materials within them, the systems all are aging as well. but when regulators extend their lives, they are trying to enforce safety regulations that will extend the lives safely. whether that is always done is unclear. once we get past 60 years, 80 years of operations with reactors that were designed for 40 years, you get to where it is a bit unclear, all of the issues to come.

such as some of the issues they have had in france. so, there are capital costs to extending lifetimes, particularly decades past the design life. but it is possible. and it is possible to do it safely. >> jonathan, what does this mean now for energy, we like -- are we likely to see fossil fuel energy take a backseat to nuclear? >> clean energy is renewables. that is the clean energy future. i hope that the energy crisis is something that is going to lead governments to decide to move more quickly tode-carbonization -- quickly active -- move quickly to de-carbonization. because there have not been the increases that they should have been end right now, 65 percent

of electricity generation comes from fossil fuels. that has not dropped for 20 years, at a time when we are meant to be moving to zero. so, we are not going forward fast enough with de- carbonization any option to do the things we need to do to reach net zero, which is essential. >> china is spending billions of dollars to expand its nuclear capability in terms of reactors, the turks are building, with the help of russia, a nuclear reactor, so are the egyptians, so are many other countries. are we moving into uncharted territory, are the risks going higher? >> absolutely the risk is growing higher. in china, there is a norm is nuclear power ro graham,

but that dwarfs what is being produced in terms of renewables. the reality is, the nuclear industry globally is interconnected. the world nuclear association has a board of directors of the russian nuclear industry which is intending to steal the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, they are active in many countries around the world. this is not a sustainable, long-term solution to de- carbonization. it also raises enormous security issues for production of plutonium, which can be used in nuclear weapons. and there are the safeguards, so a complex assessment needs to be made about the future of nuclear power. but the idea that it is going to

be rapidly deployed to save the climate? it is about saving the nuclear industry. that is what this is about. >> phil, you get the sense at the same time that leaders are perplexed as to how to move forward. i'm given example, the state of california passes a climate package which includes a few billion dollars of investment into renewable energy but at the same time, they say we need to halt the closure of the state's last nuclear plant because of the potential for shortages. are we likely to move forward in the same direction toward renewable energy while maintaining old, traditional sources of energy? >> this highlights something sean pointed out, that most of these investments in new nuclear capacity or plant extensions are very long-term things. it is hard for leaders to think

about the energy grid of 2035 or 2040 when they are facing soaring costs and climate issues now. but in 2030, you are still go to have climate pressures, so they have to be thinking about those. whether the veil that was passed in california will be enough to extend the life of the diablo canyon nuclear reactor in question is unclear, there will be negotiations and regulatory and safety issues and environmental issues that have to be cleared before it can really operate for a longer time. >> jonathan, some of the decisions are ultimately going to boil down to political consensus. in germany, for the chancellor to move forward with building more reactors, they have to have the backing of the greens. you think the green party parties in europe are going to

risk approving measures that could undermine the credibility? >> in the case of germany, what is been discussed is whether or two of the three remaining reactors that are due to close down at the end of this year will continue operating. but it is a case that some green parties are changing their positions. the green party in finland adopted a more positive position on nuclear energy, so it can be done and i think we are going to see more of it. because the timetables in which we have to act to address climate change are getting so tight, and it is where nuclear can address in the short-term term and long term. there are 60 reactors under construction now, those will be coming online in the next five years. it generates 10% of the electricity already, so it is a form of energy that is contributing now, but we need to expand it to make a bigger contribution.

>> initially, you would think the general consensus would be, particularly following the war in ukraine and soaring energy prices, people would say nuclear reactors are risky, fossil fuel is really badly affecting us, it is the moment to seize on that and move forward toward renewables. and we are seeing countries moving in the opposite direction. >> i think the headlines would give you that impression. the industrial and energy policy reality is extremely different. renewables are growing exponentially. they are not going fast enough, and we have debates constantly about the role of nuclear which distorts the priority we need to look at, energy policy in a

serious way. germany has made a big mistake relying on russian gas to the extent it has. but the idea that nuclear is going to supply energy security in a de-carbonized world, that is fantasy. that is not going to happen. i spent 30 years in japan, the 55 reactors that were available in 2011, less than 10 have restarted. there is currently nine, about six are operating. the idea that they are going to return to any significant electricity generation in japan? if you reactors are going to get approval to start within the next year, but the actual energy demands of japan are so indoor must -- are so enormous that they have already said the long-term solution for japan is renewables. at that is the reality not just for japan, but for the world. >> phil, how do you see the

world moving forward in the near future? are we likely to see this push toward rethinking energy policies, more people saying it is about time to look at renewables in a different fashion? how do you see the future of the geopolitics of energy? >> that is a good question. specifically on nuclear, as jonathan said, the crisis that has picked up since february with ukraine has basically underlined the policies of those countries that were already deciding on nuclear as a solution. beyond nuclear, we have a lot of countries rethinking how quickly or whether they want to phase out coal and natural gas as they had previously thought. but in terms of nuclear, only a

couple of policy u-turns such as california and elgin. it is hard to say how much more that will happen. this crisis is just adding traction to pre-existing arguments. >> is this just the stress that came after the war in ukraine? what about the other option that -- other option, do you think that will be tempting to world leaders to say let's put all investments into solar, wind and geothermal energy? these have the problem to solve the problems we are facing. since you all agree on the fact nuclear energy is not want to afford all the needs of the global community? >> i don't think at that moment there is a prospect of any of those other technologies you mentioned also being able to be the one solution that provides all the world's energy.

an to what sean was saying, i wish there wasn't this singular focus on nuclear energy policy. i think we should not be fighting among ourselves on solutions to climate change as low carbon options because that is slowing the movement towards de-carbonization, arguing amongst ourselves instead of getting a practical solution that uses all the different options together to get the best energy mix, the most resilient, low-carbon and reliable, by combining all their strengths. >> sean, is there any concern that world leaders might shock their nations if they move forward with nuclear energy, because they will be dragged out of fossil fuel and this could take ages for nations to resolve? >> could you repeat the question.

>> do you have concerns that if we move forward toward nuclear energy, it will be that forever and we will forget alternative energy sources? >> welcome the politicians really need to understand long-term how energy is going to be supply to the population. it is a priority. they need to understand energy economics. most politicians do not understand those things. it is a massive challenge. >> 10 seconds? >> i don't think politicians want to focus on one energy source, they have to think about systems and shooting on multiple cylinders. >> i prescient your insights. thank you. and thank you for watching. you can see the program again anytime by visiting our website

al just era.com and you can join the conversation on twitter. for our entire team here in doha, goodbye for now. ♪

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lydia feng: chinese youth are living in a brave new world. they're richer, better educated, and more connected than ever before. but they're also under constant pressure to compete and to conform. male: [speaking in foreign language] zhao jia: [speaking in foreign language] male: [speaking in foreign language] lydia: we've collaborated with chinese filmmakers to bring you three intimate stories of young people