Climate concerns demand trillions of dollars of new sustainable energy infrastructure, said the World Energy Council, adding that it will not happen without a clear climate framework and a global emissions target.

The share of nuclear power in the Czech Republic's electricity generation mix is expected to rise from about 35% currently to between 46% and 58% by 2040. The target is part of the pro-nuclear elements of a long-term energy strategy - ASEK, according to its Czech acronym - which the country's trade and industry ministry published yesterday.

China and India issued a statement underscoring the importance of working together and with other countries to conclude an ambitious, comprehensive, universal, balanced and equitable climate agreement in Paris later this year.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Illinois State Capitol yesterday to call for the passage of low carbon energy legislation underpinned by the continued operation of the state's nuclear capacity.

More than three dozen societies for nuclear professionals around the world have signed the 'Nuclear for Climate' declaration, calling for nuclear energy to be recognized for its contribution towards combatting climate change.

"A concerted push for clean-energy innovation is the only way the world can meet its climate goals," according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The organization said governments should help boost or accelerate this transformation.

As the US administration releases the first instalment of an ongoing program to draw up a roadmap for the country's future energy policy, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) is urging the Department of Energy to include the electricity generation portfolio - especially nuclear energy - in its long-term planning.

The Canadian province of Ontario is following its efforts to phase out coal-fired electricity generation by introducing a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

At the heart of the modern energy debate is a struggle between the need for more energy globally, while simultaneously achieving lower emissions. Nuclear energy is uniquely positioned to help respond to these duelling necessities, but innovative advancements must overcome considerable barriers, writes Todd Allen.

Global carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector in 2014 were at the same level as in 2013, according to preliminary figures from the International Energy Agency. It suggests that policy responses, rather than economic factors, led to the zero growth in emissions.

Legislation to cut carbon emissions currently before the Illinois general assembly would ensure the continued operation of the state's nuclear power plants, according to Exelon.

Scientists have for the first time actually observed an increase in carbon dioxide's greenhouse effect at the Earth's surface. They attributed this upward trend to rising emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.