2023-12-02 09:03:00
Saturday was launched by the call from around twenty countries to triple nuclear energy capacities in the world by 2050, compared to 2020, illustrating the spectacular general revival of interest in atom, which generates almost carbon-free electricity, but suffered following the Fukushima accident in 2011.
“We know from science, the reality of the facts and the evidence that we cannot achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 without nuclear power,” said the American envoy for the climate, John Kerry, during an event in Dubai in the company of several leaders, mainly European, who also encouraged the development of small reactors called “SMR”.
“I want to reiterate that nuclear energy is a clean energy, it must be repeated,” Emmanuel Macron said straight away. “Nuclear energy is the future,” insisted his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda.
In addition to the United States and Canada, the twenty signatories include, according to a list published by the Americans, pro-nuclear European countries as well as South Korea, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates which have just built their first power plant. , and Japan, which is relaunching its power plants.
But China and Russia, the leading builders of nuclear reactors in the world today, have not signed.
This is a voluntary call from countries, in no way binding within the framework of the official COP28 negotiations under the auspices of the UN. Their goal is to proactively promote alternative energies to fossil fuels, giving them arguments to hope to negotiate the end of oil, coal and gas in a final agreement at the COP.
Environmentalists would prefer a nuclear-free transition, highlighting the problem of waste and safety. Masayoshi Iyoda, of the environmental organization 350.org, immediately denounced the use of “dangerous” energy.
“We already have cheaper, safer, democratic and rapid solutions to respond to the climate crisis: these are renewable energies and energy efficiency,” said the activist.
Another call from countries, more consensual, will be launched on Saturday in Dubai: the tripling of renewable energy capacities (solar, wind, hydroelectricity, biomass, etc.) by 2030, an call which should be signed this time by more than 110 countries.
The European Union launched an appeal in the spring to this effect, supported by the Emirati presidency of COP28 then successively taken up by the G7 and G20 countries (80% of global greenhouse gas emissions).
“Today, our call has transformed into a powerful movement. More than 110 countries have already joined it,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on Friday. “I invite you all to include these objectives in the final decision of the COP.”
While leaders are active publicly, thousands of negotiators from nearly 200 countries are holding meetings in rooms hidden from cameras to move forward on the real issue of this COP28: the text(s) which must be adopted by consensus by December 12.
The most difficult paragraphs to negotiate concern the reduction or even the end of fossil fuels: oil, gas and coal.
Illustration of this tension: when the G20 committed in September to “encourage efforts” to triple renewable energies, its final declaration remained silent on the fate of fossils.
AFP
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