Example environmental science dissertation topic 9:

Two years on: An evaluation of German nuclear policy in the wake of the disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan.

In addition to an impressive raft of energy reduction initiatives, Germany has announced that, subsequent to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor disaster, it will phase out entirely nuclear power plants by 2022. This dissertation evaluates whether Germany’s plans are realistic or a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction for political gain. This latter suggestion has some credence, given that one of Germany’s nuclear reactors, ‘closed down’ immediately after events in Japan, had in fact been ‘off the grid’ for many years, and that at least seven other reactors were already past their intended life span, with federal elections drawing ever closer. Drawing on extensive secondary sources, this paper explores the uneasy balance between environmental issues and politics.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Butler, C., Parkhill, K.A. and Pidgeon, N.F. (2011). ‘Nuclear power after Japan: The social dimensions’, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, Vol. 53(6), pp. 3-14.
• Evrard, A. (2012). ‘Political parties and policy change: Explaining the impact of French and German Greens on energy policy’, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, Vol. 14(4), pp. 275-291.
• Wittneben, B.B.F. (2012). ‘The impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident on European energy policy’, Environmental Science & Policy, Vol. 15(1), pp. 1-3.