IAEA conference examines decarbonization strategies
The role of low carbon energy options, including nuclear power in national decarbonization strategies, served as a prime topic during the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) event assembled thought leaders and sustainable energy experts as a means of exploring how the world can rapidly decarbonize the energy sector to meet both climate goals and the growing demand for energy.
“Despite growing investment in low carbon energy sources, progress remains too slow and unevenly distributed to prevent the most severe impacts of climate change,” Wei Huang, director of the IAEA’s Division of Planning, Information and Knowledge Management, said. “It is crucial that national strategies and regulatory frameworks be optimized to facilitate the rapid financing and implementation of low carbon electricity systems so that the global community can meet its climate goals.”
Huang said nuclear electricity contributes to climate mitigation every day and must be part of the equation, in combination with renewable energy.
Roughly half of the world’s population lacks access to enough electricity and almost 1 billion people have no access at all. Rapid decarbonization must be linked to raising living standards worldwide.
“Not only do we need to replace our entire fossil fuel infrastructure—heat, power, transport—but probably double or triple it to meet rising global energy demand,” said Kirsty Gogan, executive director of Energy for Humanity, a UK-based environmental group. “All credible studies have concluded that to have a serious chance of success, we need all the low carbon solutions we have available to us, and, given the scale and urgency, should be pursuing all the fast, cost-effective, most feasible pathways to decarbonize.”
