Nuclear associations sign climate declaration

Wednesday, 6 May 2015

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.

The signatories to the declaration (Image: SFEN)

On 4 May, during the International Congress on Advances on Nuclear Power Plants in Nice, France, representatives of 39 nuclear societies and technical organizations signed a joint declaration stating their belief that nuclear energy "is a key part of the solution in the fight against climate change".

The declaration is a major component of the 'Nuclear for Climate' global initiative, launched last year to raise awareness among decision-makers and the general public of the undeniable climate change benefits of nuclear energy. The initiative was initially launched through the French Nuclear Society, the European Nuclear Society and the American Nuclear Society.

By signing the declaration, the 39 associations say they "recognize that nuclear energy is one of a handful of options available at scale which can help to reduce energy related greenhouse gas emissions".

The signatories say they believe that "each country needs access to the widest possible portfolio of low-carbon technologies available, including nuclear energy, in order to reduce CO2 emissions and meet other energy goals".

They also call for the new protocols being developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to "recognize nuclear energy as a low-carbon energy option, and to include it in its climate funding mechanisms, as is the case for all other low-carbon energy sources".

Among the signatories to the declaration are the Korean Nuclear Society, the Chinese Nuclear Society, the Australian Nuclear Association, the Canadian Nuclear Society, the Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa and the UK's Nuclear Institute.

In December 2014, the UNFCCC announced that all the parties to the convention had agreed a framework for proposing greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by 1 October 2015. The agreement followed the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP20).

Individual countries are required to say how they consider their "intended nationally determined contribution is fair and ambitious, in light of its national circumstance, and how it contributes towards achieving the objective of the convention", the UNFCCC said. Several countries - including China and the USA - have already submitted their plans.

The UNFCCC will study these individual plans and prepare a synthesis report by 1 November on the aggregate effect of these contributions. This could form the basis for a binding global agreement for 2020 and beyond at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21), set to be held in Paris at the end of 2015.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News