Prime Minister Tony Blair opened a fierce polemics on energy and the environment, saying the British government will think over building a new generation of nuclear power plants. He recognized that revision of a longstanding move away from the use of atomic reactors to generate electricity is a "difficult and challenging" issue. "What we need is a serious debate, not one conducted by protest or demonstration to stop people expressing their views," he said. Many Europeans have strongly opposed nuclear power plants since the 1986 Chernobyl reactor disaster increased fears about its safety, but Britain is not alone in beginning to rethink that aversion. Opponents worry about accidents or terrorist attacks at nuclear plants and the need to dispose of radioactive waste safely. Advocates say nuclear power, which does not generate greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, is environmentally beneficial. They also believe it will become increasingly necessary as world oil supplies tighten.

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