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Bonn, Germany, July 24, 2001
INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR FORUM
Press Statement
The deal to salvage the climate change talks in Bonn failed to support greenhouse gas-free nuclear energy projects in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI). These two mechanisms will allow industrialized countries to achieve emissions reduction goals through project based investments in less developed countries.
Ministers at the Sixth Conference of the Parties agreed upon a compromise text outlining possible implementation of the Kyoto Protocol that discriminates against the single, most effective greenhouse gas control technology, according to members of the International Nuclear Forum (INF). "The political exclusion of nuclear electricity undermines the environmental integrity of this international effort to address global warming," said John Ritch of the World Nuclear Association.
The INF also pointed out that there are only two ways to effectively deal with greenhouse gas emissions: avoid making them or capture and store them. Nuclear energy is a proven technology that avoids greenhouse gases as well as pollutants that can cause smog and acid rain.
Opposition to the use of nuclear electricity in the mechanisms came primarily from the European Union where 35 percent of the electricity supply is generated from about 140 nuclear power reactors. "Frankly, we are astonished that Europe – which will rely heavily on nuclear electricity for compliance with the Kyoto Protocol – is trying to prevent other nations from using this important mitigation technology," said Dr. Wolf-J. Schmidt-Küster of Foratom.
Tom Gorman of the Canadian Nuclear Association noted that nuclear provides reliable, cost-effective and emissions-free electricity in virtually all the major developed nations that are planning to accept mandatory emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol. "We remain hopeful that the agreement will be revised so Canada can help developing nations use nuclear technology safely through CDM," said Gorman.
"For nations like Japan, where sinks and other carbon controls may be limited, nuclear electricity is a particularly crucial mitigation tool," according to Kaoru Kikuyama of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum. "An increase in electricity production will be essential to meet the expected significant population growth in Asia. Adequate living standards will require a growth in emission-free electricity," she added.
The U.S. view – that nuclear energy is part of the solution to the threat of global climate change – was included in discussions although the United States did not directly participate in the negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol. "President Bush has finally broken the silence and said what everyone at this process has long known," said Maureen Koetz of the Nuclear Energy Institute. "If nuclear technology is not effectively used today and in the future, achieving the goals of the climate change process is in jeopardy."
Currently, nuclear electricity provides 17 percent of electricity around the world while annually avoiding the emission of over 1.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide. In some developed countries, nuclear electricity production accounts for up to 78 percent of total generation. In addition, nuclear technologies can contribute to climate change adaptation in the developing world. For decades, the developed world has transferred adaptive technologies such as research reactors, medical sterilization, diagnostic and treatment equipment, and food protection technology.
The International Nuclear Forum is an alliance of the world's leading nuclear associations, sharing a common interest in the development and application of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The nuclear associations that have come together to form the International Nuclear Forum all promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy as a means of supplying the world's growing energy demand while minimizing environmental risks.
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| Contacts in Bonn: | ||
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Jack Ashton, Media Relations, Phone: +32 478 2341 48 |
Dr. Wolf-J. Schmidt-Küster, Phone: +32 475 5196 78 |
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