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UK pledges $40bn to combat coronavirus

The UK unveiled measures worth $40bn to combat the economic effects of coronavirus.

The UK unveiled measures worth $40bn to combat the economic effects of coronavirus. We consider whether finance minister Rishi Sunak's proposals will provide much needed reassurance, with small business campaigner Michelle Ovens and Professor Tim Vorley of Sheffield University Management School. Also in the programme, on the ninth anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, when a huge tsunami and earthquake struck Japan, triggering a triple meltdown at a nuclear power plant, we ask whether nuclear power might make a comeback. Dr Brigitte Knopf of the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change discusses an aversion to nuclear power in Germany, which saw the country's parliament vote to bring forward the phase-out date for nuclear power shortly after the disaster. Dr Paul Dorfman, chair of the Nuclear Consulting Group tells us why China and Russia are investing heavily in nuclear power plants. And Leon Flexman of the Nuclear Industry Association argues that countries like the UK will not be able to meet their climate goals without keeping nuclear power in the mix.

(Picture: Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons. Picture credit: House of Commons.)

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27 minutes

Last on

Wed 11 Mar 2020 15:32GMT

Broadcast

  • Wed 11 Mar 2020 15:32GMT