Foratom, the European nuclear trade body, has welcomed the ambitions outlined in the European Commission's Industrial Strategy, which was published yesterday. The strategy is part of European Commission President Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen's political guidelines and responds to a request from the European Council in March 2019.

Public perception of nuclear power "has been defined almost by its failures rather than by its successes", and the industry has thus adopted a defensive posture, Adi Paterson, CEO of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation told delegates at the International Youth Nuclear Congress on 9 March. The challenge now for the 250 IYNC attendees is: "How to change the narrative of nuclear in a deep and profound way," he said.

The United Nations' climate talks this year can be a moment where the world comes together to ramp up momentum towards a climate-resilient, zero-carbon economy, COP26 President Designate Alok Sharma told UN Member States at the organisation's headquarters in New York on 6 March. Sharma said it was time to "send out a message of ambition and hope, that decarbonisation is the future, with huge opportunities for those who are willing to act now".

The UK's Nuclear Industry Association has called on the government to produce a financing mechanism that supports investment in new build projects. The government announced in June 2018 that it would review the viability of a Regulated Asset Base model, but it has yet to respond to a public consultation on the Treasury's proposal that took place last year.

The main challenges facing the nuclear industry are not in the production and delivery of electricity, but in securing the policy support required for it to expand its contribution of sustainable and low-carbon energy. This was the message of Philippe Costes, senior advisor at World Nuclear Assocation, to delegates at the Nuclear Power Plants Expo & Summit in Istanbul this week. "Nuclear energy has a vital role to play in a global sustainable energy mix, which must first of all meet the world's growing need for electricity. Over the next 30 years, the global population will rise towards nine billion, the global economy will continue to grow and technological developments will create greater demand for electricity. There is an underlying need for dispatchable electricity. We live in a world that requires a 24/7 supply of electricity and nuclear is uniquely placed to provide this."

Ontario Power Generation and Hydro One have launched a new company, Ivy Charging Network, which plans to install a new network of fast-chargers for electric vehicles in Ontario by the end of 2021. The Canadian government is investing CAD8 million (USD6 million) in the project which it says will help the transition to a clean energy future.

A "grand coalition" of all stakeholders is needed to address the challenge of climate change, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said yesterday during the latest in the Paris-based organisation's Big Ideas speaker series. This must involve the energy sector, he said, as it accounts for most of the world's carbon dioxide emissions.

Despite widespread expectations of another increase, global energy-related CO2 emissions stopped growing in 2019, according to International Energy Agency data released today. After two years of growth, global emissions were unchanged at 33 gigatonnes in 2019 even as the world economy expanded by 2.9%.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi plans to "recalibrate" the work of the Vienna-based organisation, he told a prominent think-tank in Washington DC. The IAEA will become more visible and present in its mission, bolder in its nuclear security efforts and more proactive in representing nuclear energy in the climate debate, he said.

International Atomic Energy Agency data animation based on the Sustainable Development Scenario in the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook 2019 shows that global nuclear power generation will need to expand significantly beyond its historical markets. This is crucial if the world is to have a reasonable chance at meeting climate change goals, the IAEA said on 3 February.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today officially launched the next UN climate summit, joined by David Attenborough, the English broadcaster and natural historian, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at an event in central London. Johnson called on all nations to follow the lead the UK took last year in becoming the first country to make a legal commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

A new study of energy capacity needs in the American Northwest has found the region can achieve a clean energy future, with an optimal mix that includes relicensing of the Columbia nuclear power plant and the introduction of small modular reactors.