Germany shut down its last three nuclear reactors Saturday, after decades of debate and organizing by anti-nuclear activists. This is Jürgen Trittin, a lawmaker from the Green Party.

Jürgen Trittin: “The introduction of this technology, the introduction, was a historical mistake. And today we remedy this mistake.”

The long-anticipated move came as only a partial victory for environmental activists, as Europe’s largest economy has ramped up its coal production to make up for the loss of nuclear power and the energy crisis spurred by the Ukraine war. Anti-nuclear activists also noted there is still no definite plan for storing all the highly toxic nuclear waste from Germany’s decommissioned plants, which must be securely stored underground for 1 million years.