Japan on gas, coal power building spree to fill nuclear void

[NickB79]

14. Where the economics clash, the plants shut down

However, the article I posted and GG cited said up to 30 reactors in the US could be closed due to economic clashes over the next decade. That, however, still leaves over 60 reactors left running that still work within the existing economic system for the time being while renewables are scaled up further. Over time, those reactors also become uneconomical and go offline as they are no longer needed.

The alternative that Japan and Germany appear to be accepting is a spike in carbon emissions from new gas and coal plants that may last for the next decade to bridge the gap to a predominately renewables system at precisely the time our ecosystems can't handle such a spike. That is not an alternative that keeps us anywhere near a safe atmospheric CO2 level, given now what we're learning about positive feedback mechanisms.