So, Angela Merkel’s black Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party wins enough seats in Germany’s national election to allow her to form a coalition with the yellow Free Democratic Party (FDP).

What do you get when you put black and yellow together?

It is now expected that Merkel will announce an end to Germany’s phaseout of its nuclear reactors - the coalition parties may try to extend the life-times of some of the old plants in Germany that are due to close starting from 2010.

The thing is, yesterday’s vote simply doesn’t reflect the German public opinion on the nuclear phaseout. The majority of Germany’s population is against nuclear energy and in favour of renewable resources and energy efficiency to combat climate change.

The movement against nuclear power is actually growing stronger (see the 50,000-strong demonstration in Berlin earlier this month), following the current crisis with radioactive waste and a recent series of accidents at aging German nuclear reactors.

The decision on the nuclear phase was legislated in 2002 as a result of wide discussion and consensus in the society. It has largely stimulated the German energy industry to make major investments in wind and solar energy, making Germany a world leader in the large scale renewable energy technologies. Rather than phasing out the nuclear phaseout, the new government should listen to the German people, close down dangerous old reactors and maintain the country's leading role in clean energy.