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Many countries are building nuclear power plants. They want to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and generate energy cost-effectively. But have they also thought about decommissioning? It can be very expensive.
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00:06in just seconds the cooling towers of a nuclear plant are blown up spectacular but dismantling
00:14an entire plant takes decades that's because many materials are radioactive and can't simply
00:20be disposed of the same way nuclear waste used to be nuclear power is experiencing a
00:29comeback worldwide but have operators given thoughts at decommissioning what happens when
00:35a nuclear plant reaches the end of its service life and above all how much will decommissioning
00:40and disposal cost also today on made china will export save growth ayurveda wellness between
00:54tradition and modernity and erica robin beauty pageant bravery
01:11this used to be the crown jewel of soviet technology nuclear power the energy of the future it was the
01:19pride of communist east germany unlike the plant is fully functional and safe now it's become a
01:26nightmare oh it's beeping continuously let's move a meter away this is one of the biggest and most
01:35expensive civil decommissioning projects in the world it's taking decades longer than planned and
01:40is going to cost ten times what it was supposed to we're at the northeastern edge of germany right
01:47by the baltic sea good morning hello here we have our decimeter we're entering a contaminated area
02:03court radlov's parents both worked here when the plant was still active
02:08now he's the person handling the pr for this place and right away we're in the middle of the plant
02:19wow it's huge
02:27this is the reactor shaft where the basket containing nuclear fuel was located
02:33it's the heart of every reactor unit
02:42is everything here contaminated
02:46we can assume there's contamination here if radioactivity is above the threshold we need to remove further
02:52layers it's very time consuming
02:54that's what's up to talk again so if he's off in there are strict regulations about how long you can
03:00stay inside these holes you can't eat or drink or go to the bathroom
03:0635 years have passed since the shutdown
03:10and it still looks quite full here we've removed the major components that means the pressure vessel
03:18and its components
03:23after the power plants are shut down the most radioactive parts the nuclear fuel rods and
03:28everything around them are removed first the rods have to be left to cool down in the world's
03:34least fun pools and are then placed in interim storage this process alone can take years in this
03:41case it was seven but that was the easy part 330 000 tons of material still needs to be measured
03:50for
03:50radioactivity and dismantled because the problem with radiation is that you can't neutralize it
03:57nuclear fuel classified as high level waste can continue to be radioactive for hundreds of thousands
04:03of years and needs to be locked away until it's no longer a threat the components closest to the
04:10fuel like parts of the pressure vessel have been activated which means that they were exposed to
04:15radioactivity long enough that they themselves emit radiation these are classified as intermediate level
04:24waste and can't be decontaminated either so they too need to be stored away safely
04:31but the parts that were further away from the fuel can be decontaminated for that you need to sort them
04:38by material and then separate off the radioactive layers we have multiple decontamination areas
04:46like the dry blasting and high pressure water blasting cabinets this way you can dramatically reduce the
04:53volume of waste that needs to be stored for the coming centuries then every piece of equipment
04:59needs to be cut down to the size of these boxes once it's all been double checked for remaining
05:06radiation the decontaminated material can finally be put into a skip according to the international
05:14atomic energy agency the whole process of decommissioning is supposed to take 15 to 20 years
05:22but the problem is that in a lot of cases many things just don't go according to plan
05:28like in this hole this is the so-called special building one radioactive control water was treated
05:36here during operations but there was an unpleasant surprise hiding in this building
05:48we know that there's quite a lot of contamination down here in the corner
05:52if there was a crack in the plaster somewhere which probably wasn't uncommon back in 1990
06:01it seeped into the cracks and spread from there
06:08a normal dose rate is 0.1 0.15 0.15 0.2 microsieverts
06:20it's under 0.2 now but if we go here
06:26oh god it's beeping almost continuously
06:29that's around 10 microsieverts this is an area where i'd say let's move a meter away
06:37and not stand or lie here for an hour
06:40every inch of this building needs to be checked for radiation
06:44and any contaminated concrete shaved or hammered off layer by layer
06:51and we haven't even reached the last step of this process storage
06:56germany doesn't have any permanent storage site for nuclear waste yet
07:00that's why everything is currently kept in a building that we're not allowed to film the outside of
07:05for security reasons
07:17the lower and intermediate level waste which is 95 percent of the total waste here
07:23is supposed to be sent to a permanent storage site in central germany that's currently being built
07:29as for the high level radioactive waste there are no concrete plans for where to store it yet
07:37and this isn't just a german problem only two of the 31 countries producing nuclear power are
07:44currently building a permanent storage site for high level waste
07:49so the fuel rods are going to have to sit around for a long long time
07:56this plant and its legacy will keep this generation and the next busy
08:11china continues to focus on building new nuclear power plants despite high decommissioning costs
08:18nuclear power is making a comeback beijing wants to reduce emissions and meet rising energy demand
08:26but the energy is mainly needed to increase exports the domestic market on the other hand is weakening
08:33are exports saving the economy or just masking structural problems
08:43china's economy is slowing down its housing market is collapsing and people aren't buying
08:48yet in 2025 it's still hit five percent growth targets fueled by massive exports even as its domestic debt is
08:57rising
09:00debt has nearly doubled since 2015 and it's now close to a hundred percent of gdp
09:06but it's funded domestically mainly by household savings so china is a dual economy on the one hand
09:14it is slowing uh it's domestic demand is slowing its investment is slowing but on the other hand
09:21its exports are growing massively exports help but the property market once the engine of china's economy
09:29is now slowing the country down
09:36housing prices have been declining since 2022
09:49the real estate sector was around one-third of china's growth before 2020 so it was huge that was
09:56a bubble and the end of that bubble has far-reaching implications for public services and household
10:02spending and the reason is because when the real estate market collapsed the local governments
10:07couldn't sell land anymore uh could not sell uh apartments or condos too so then that also reduced state
10:16funding dramatically and state salaries so that has been a big drag on consumption in china
10:25this slowdown in consumption is made worse by china's long-term challenge demographic decline
10:33with its working age population shrinking from nearly 70 percent in 2010 to a projected less than 40 percent in
10:412090
10:47a shrinking labor force means fewer young buyers or lower demand which increases pressure on economic growth
10:58you would think that china's deflation is the result of excess capacity but it's the lack of
11:07sufficient demand so china should increase its domestic demand
11:14in recent years consumer prices have barely budged while factories have often seen costs exceed product sale price
11:30deflation deflation is unusual for a major economy yet china has been struggling with it for several years
11:38one reason is that china has a very bare bones social welfare system uh people who work for private
11:46enterprises and enterprises they don't have uh very good social welfare uh and as a result they don't
11:53want to spend a lot because there's just high amount of saving in china in in case of a rainy
12:00day
12:01if growth doesn't come from inside it has to come from outside exports are now more important than ever
12:08as china's manufacturing strives to stay globally competitive at almost all costs
12:15companies are in on a survival mode they need market share they're ready to cut prices even at a loss
12:22and this is a little bit scary for europe certainly for germany but it's you know for the world and
12:29the
12:29chinese financial system supports this so all the banks are state-owned uh so when they lend out money they
12:37don't care about whether they make a profit they don't even care if they can recoup the money so the
12:42financial system will just keep giving money to all these companies uh and as a result this vast
12:48oversupply continues and that's why it's so hard to compete with chinese-made products
12:56the impact can be felt worldwide countries like germany face lower demand for their products
13:03while those trying to build factories struggle to compete with china's dumping prices
13:11china thinks china if company a makes a loss but eventually that company can compete with somebody
13:20another company in the us or europe that's good enough they will deal with um profitability later
13:29china accepts slower growth so that it can restructure its economy
13:35but what can be done to boost it if we can take bolder fiscal and the monetary policies we can
13:46adopt
13:46bolder fiscal in the monetary policies china's economy can rebound very quickly i hope the chinese government
13:56uh shift is focus from uh supply to demand and you know really devotes fiscal resources to more
14:06social welfare spending for now beijing is willing to endure short-term pain for long-term results
14:13like technological self-reliance and financial stability
14:21another emerging economic sector from asia holistic healing arts ayurveda has existed in india for
14:29thousands of years it means science of life and considers the body mind and soul of a person as one
14:38the right balance between the elements is said to strengthen self-healing powers
14:44ayurveda is now being fundamentally modernized in india
14:52oils massages relaxation that is what most people associate with ayurveda but it goes
14:59far beyond that after centuries of staying in the background ayurveda is now entering the mainstream
15:08doctor aishwarya jairam an ayurveda practitioner for 15 years is witnessing this change closely she works
15:16at sanjeevanam a hospital that brings traditional ayurveda and modern healthcare together and has
15:22become a key center for this shift it's a holistic thing we see people as a whole person we think
15:29about
15:29their body their mind their spirit even spiritual also we think about all these aspects ayurveda has
15:36multi-faceted dimensions like it is not just wellness it is preventive it is promotion
15:43promotive it is curative and definitely rehabilitative also ayurveda meaning the science of life is believed to
15:51be nearly 5 000 years old its foundation lies in balance between the mind body and spirit and it
16:00relies on nature medicinal plants food and lifestyle changes for the past 14 or 15 years what i have
16:08seen is initially all these people were coming for relaxation rejuvenation wellness retreat and all but
16:14now what is happening is they're looking for cure they understand or consider ayurveda as their system of
16:20medicine or the system of medicine they want to follow above the allopathy system of medicine
16:27and institutions like sanjeevanam show how the perception about ayurveda is evolving no longer
16:33considered an age-old healing system followed by small traditional centers or solo practitioners but
16:39an organized and thriving sector being studied by modern research it is very much an industry now
16:47having a residential treatment center where thousands come every year seeking solutions to medical
16:53issues presence of doctors with degrees in areas like neurology ophthalmology and gynecology and labs for
17:01formulations of medicines and therapeutic oils a modern ayurveda center encompasses this all
17:08according to the founder of sanjeevanam ayurvedic products for personal care like shampoos soaps oils
17:16and creams have also gained immense popularity the ayurveda products market in india presently valued at
17:2610.5 billion us dollars as for the records available through government of india's certain publications from
17:35this figures i i'm sure 15 to 20 percent growth annually will take place so definitely it will reach
17:41more than 20 billion dollars in another three or four years time he says growth could be even faster
17:48if ayurvedic medicines receive wider regulatory acceptance outside india the country which is
17:54receiving the product has to give clearance their licensing authorities should have a system to study this
18:00product and issue the approval that is not available that is lacking now there is no licensing authority
18:07in those countries to approve the medicines he says this is where the government can help over the past
18:14decade the government has promoted ayurveda at full throttle calling it india's soft power it has set
18:20up a dedicated ministry and invested in research educational institutions infrastructure and international
18:27promotion wellness tourism is another aspect where ayurveda is leading the charge emily terrier is
18:34from france and her deep research looking for treatment for her endometriosis brought her here
18:40in the western medicine basically uh the vision is very limited and when i read about endometriosis
18:47it's also what you eat it's your day-to-day pattern it's it's a lot of things when so when
18:52i read about
18:53uh ayurveda it seemed very interesting to me and maybe a solution uh to help me with my condition
19:00because it was very hard to function on a day-to-day basis aishwarya says such cases reflect a larger
19:07global shift towards more holistic and long-term approaches to health also evident by the fact that
19:12now many countries in the west too have ayurvedic wellness centers and also we are seeing a lot of
19:19awareness in the young generation particularly for a balanced life a healthy pattern i think they're
19:26looking for balance and that journey is definitely taking them to ayurveda along with yoga for her
19:32this growing interest in ayurveda reflects a broader change where traditional practices are reaching wider
19:38audiences bigger markets and opening up to new economic possibilities
19:48this woman also seized her chance erika robin from pakistan made the top 20 of a miss universe pageant
19:59it was a special moment for the country where old traditions are still strong
20:04patriarchy sets the tone nonetheless erika robin made it she sees her success as an inspiration for women
20:13worldwide to assert themselves
20:16and i think i was um very young i was 16 17. because you're tall you know you look good
20:37your features are very good so you shoot in the salon
20:44what motivated me actually nothing it was just uh something that i did shock shock
20:50as a professional
20:55i had zero knowledge about it so shock
21:03my father was against it my father was against it uh because again
21:07look kya kengi
21:09so bus unkei concern the safety concern ke um
21:14i think you have a minority's acceptance
21:20that's a little bit less
21:23hi this is erika robin from karachi pakistan and i'm your first ever miss universe pakistan
21:31miss universe ka idea damaag me kabhi nahi because i knew that pakistan list
21:47was like a dream
21:49to become the first miss universe was never there
21:53i think i think it was written in the destiny
21:57or robust boom
21:59I don't know where it came from, but if I think about it, it still feels like a dream.
22:04Pakistan!
22:23So, after that, when the news was out, it was a lot of fun for some time.
22:29Twitter, every place was trending news.
22:34And the tagline was shameful for me.
22:40We reject Miss Universe Pakistan.
22:42We won't accept it.
22:51People didn't understand that.
22:54Also, I think coming from a one-person minority,
22:56there was no acceptance.
22:58People thought, okay, she's Christian,
23:00so she's not going to respect the Islamic culture.
23:08How would she represent us?
23:10How would she respect the culture?
23:11Because you know that there is a swimwear around.
23:17How would she look at the back-lash mask?
23:20I was wearing a lot of masks.
23:20And I myself,
23:21I wasn't so comfortable for me.
23:24I was wearing a bikini pants.
23:34Burkini is the first time I used to wear a bikini so it's an alternative of a bikini you can
23:42say
23:45I asked them that is there going to be a swimwear around so they said yes but it's not necessary
23:50that you have to wear bikini if you're not comfortable you can wear a bikini and that's
23:55the time that I said yes I want to do it
24:12last year there were 200 applications and this year because now everyone knows that it's real it's
24:19authentic and Pakistan say Karachi Lahore Islamabad or her jaga say her insan name at love her age group
24:28nasal of like here and I was really happy kitty good now it's accepted and uh because my
24:43I'm glad that this by majority uh Pakistani uh ladies apply yes I was really happy for it
24:54with time what's other change oh yeah now if you look at any Miss universe or do previous Miss
25:00universe right there are chukiya unke pas title with a purpose oh time at the beginning if you're
25:04intelligent if you're beautiful or you know how to talk how to you walk you will get the title
25:17and I think being the first ever Miss Universe Pakistan has really
25:21uh made me feel the importance of being a true Pakistani
25:30I'm very happy that I'm the first but not the last also I think
25:35that the opportunity that came to me it was a beautiful experience
25:39one thing that I would cherish for the rest of my life
25:47that's all for today from May we've shown you the cost of disposing of decommissioned nuclear plants
25:55how China's growth relies on exports rather than on the domestic economy and how India is modernizing
26:02Ayurveda take care
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