On October 26-28 this year, the Social Democratic (SPD) party congress was held in Hamburg; its new party platform, the so-called "Hamburg Program," constitutes a landmark for the party. The Program's chapter on "Sustainable Progress and Qualitative Growth" refers to energy policy in the section about "Turning Point in Energy Policy; Environmental Protection." Emphasis is given to the fact that energy, like air and water, is a basis of life of our civilization, and that the present ways of wasting energy and resources have no future. For this reason, the turnaround in energy policy initiated by the SPD must be advanced in the key issue of switching from non-renewable to renewable energy resources and from polluting to non-polluting resources. The ultimate goal is a solar age. As far as nuclear power is concerned, the Social Democratic Party finds that nuclear fission appeared to many as the big hope for energy available forever, but that these hopes cannot come true. To put it in a nutshell: The SPD is fast embarking on the road into a solar age. The party does see the growing world population and the rising energy requirement as well as the resulting challenges. However, its energy policy concept is too rigidly focused on Germany and the country's pioneering role. At the present time, nuclear power stands no chance in the SPD, although the Hamburg declaration includes a cautious reminder of the fact that, until 1986, the SPD was among the proponents of nuclear power.
