Nuclear power forms an important pillar of many countries' climate change mitigation strategies

The need for climate change mitigation is a salient reason for an increasing number of countries considering nuclear power within their national energy portfolios, according to IAEA experts and government sources. "Concerns about climate change is one of the drivers for countries to introduce or to expand their use of nuclear power," said David Shropshire, Head of the IAEA's Planning and Economic Studies Section. Other factors include growing energy demands and the desire to increase energy security and reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuel costs, he added.