Nuclear is part of the solution for fighting climate change

Nuclear for Climate recognize the conclusions of Working Group I of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), which states that human activity and greenhouse gas emissions are - with 95 percent certainty - the dominant cause of current climate change. We welcome the Paris Agreement which was adopted at the 21. Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - widely known as COP 21 - in December 2015 and has entered into force 4 November, just before the COP22. We support its main aim to keep global temperature increases this century well below 2 degrees Celsius, and drive efforts to limit temperature increases to below 1.5 degrees Celsius, which the UNFCCC says is a 'significantly safer' defense against the worst impacts of climate change. We believe that nuclear energy is a key part of the solution for limiting climate change, and that: 1. The world must increase the deployment of all low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear energy, if it is to limit climate change while still meeting development goals. The global challenge is immense: by 2050, according to the IPCC, 80 percent of global electricity will need to be produced with low-carbon technology (compared with 30 percent today) in order to contain climate change below 2 deg. C. During the same period, global demand for electricity should double to meet the basic needs of humanity in terms of population growth and development goals. Low-carbon electricity is expected to play a major role in de-carbonizing other sectors. This challenge requires the use of all low-carbon energy technologies: renewables, nuclear, and fossil fuels with carbon capture and sequestration, and underscores the need for large-scale low- or no-carbon electric generation options. The IPCC recognizes that 'The life cycle greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt-hour from nuclear power plants are two orders of magnitude lower than those of fossil-fueled electricity generation and comparable to most renewables'. 2. The world needs to take urgent steps towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It cannot afford to wait for 'advanced technologies' or to prematurely close existing low carbon energy sources. Nuclear energy is a proven low-carbon option, available today. A significant part of the CO₂ released remains in the atmosphere for a long time and accumulates. To slow down the increase in concentration, we need to start reducing CO₂ emissions now. Energy transitions take decades to implement. To contain climate change, we need to make the most efficient use of the full range of low-carbon energy options available today while continuing to develop advanced technologies that can be implemented by 2050. Nuclear energy is one of the few currently available energy options that has already proven to be effective and can be implemented quickly and on a large scale. Today's nuclear power plants are the second largest source of low-carbon electricity globally. Countries which close nuclear plants prematurely instead of fossil plants (especially coal and lignite) are eating into the world's available carbon budget. 3. All countries have the right to choose nuclear energy in order to reduce greenhouse gases while meeting their other energy objectives. Energy and climate experts agree, and multiple studies confirm, that pathways with the greatest probability for successfully de-carbonizing the energy mix require the use of nuclear energy. Countries must meet climate goals and at the same time meet other energy policy objectives. Nuclear energy enables countries to reduce CO₂ emissions while helping to improve energy security, providing affordable electricity, and facilitating economic and industrial development. We therefore call on decision-makers to ensure that the inalienable right of countries to choose nuclear energy in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while meeting their energy and development objectives is not prejudiced against in any way by the new UNFCCC protocols, specifically with regards to access to climate funding mechanisms such as Green Climate Funds. (authors)