Nuclear energy’s role in reducing emissions examined

Energy industry officials maintain if the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions comes to fruition, nuclear initiatives must play a pivotal role.

During the International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power in Vienna, Austria, participants said only the right mix of energy sources would enable the world to reach the targets set during the Paris Agreement to limit climate change.

“I believe (participation in this conference) reflects international recognition of the gravity and scale of the climate emergency — as reflected in last month’s UN Climate Action Summit — and a growing appreciation of the contribution that nuclear science and technology can make in addressing it,” Cornel Feruta, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) acting director general, said. “It is difficult to see how the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved without a significant increase in the use of nuclear power in the coming decades.”

The effort united 550 participants representing 79 countries, organizers said, as well as 18 international organizations, to exchange science-based information and discuss nuclear power’s role in addressing  climate change.

“With low levels of greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear power contributes to emissions reduction today and in the future,” Liu Zhenmin, under-secretary-general for Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), said. “Existing nuclear power plants have avoided approximately one to two gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, when compared with gas or coal alternatives.”