antinucleaire

Antinucleaire is a term used in French to describe opposition to nuclear technologies, especially nuclear power and nuclear weapons. In English-language contexts the nearest equivalent is anti-nuclear. The label covers movements, organizations, and individuals who seek to reduce or eliminate reliance on nuclear energy or to ban or limit nuclear weapons, often on grounds of safety, environmental impact, and ethical concerns.

Concerns focus on safety, radioactive waste, environmental and health risks, and the potential for nuclear proliferation. The debate often frames energy as climate-friendly only if carbon-free and reliable, with antinucleaire advocates emphasizing safer, renewable alternatives.

Historically, anti-nuclear sentiment emerged in the postwar era and surged in the 1960s–1980s with protests against nuclear weapons tests and the construction of reactors. In France, the movement contributed to opposition to some plants and to the long-running debate over a rapid nuclear phase-out; the prominent French group Sortir du nucléaire formed in 1992. In Germany, collective activism helped spur the Energiewende and the decision to shut down many reactors.

Methods include demonstrations, citizen initiatives, lawsuits, grassroots organizing, and lobbying for policy changes or referendums. Anti-nuclear campaigns also engage in waste management debates and calls to disarm or limit weapons programs.

Today, the influence of antinucleaire varies by country. Some governments are phasing out or reducing nuclear capacity, while others maintain or expand it under safety, energy security, or climate rationale. The term remains common in Francophone discourse and in international debates about energy strategy and weapons policy.