This is an ENS webpage supporting the Nuclear for Climate initiative and sharing its activities and achievements.
Visit the Nuclear for Climate Official Website here: https://netzeroneedsnuclear.com/
Nuclear for Climate
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Nuclear for Climate is a grassroots initiative gathering over 150 associations with the goal of educating policymakers and the public about the necessity of including nuclear energy among the carbon-free solutions to climate change. It was co-founded by the ENS, the French Nuclear Society (SFEN) and the American Nuclear Society (ANS) in 2015, ahead of the COP21 conference in Paris.
The initiative brings together professionals and scientists of the international nuclear community, coordinated via regional and national nuclear associations and technical societies. The international community recognises the urgent need to decarbonize electricity generation to protect people and the planet from air pollution and climate change.
Since 2015, over 150 nuclear associations have shared our declaration messages via social media, and our twitter account reached over 300,000 tweet impressions around the word. Our award-winning grassroots communications campaign was retweeted by high-profile news publications such as the NY Times, NBC and ABC news.
Nuclear for Climate has a global presence on social media and in-person. There have been delegations at international conferences, such as the United Nations COPs from 21 to 27, where activists promoted nuclear energy as a key player in negotiations around climate change. The delegation also hosted side events, flashmobs and participated in panel discussions with representatives from environmental NGOs, the IAEA and national delegates.
To find out more about how you can get involved, read on to the ‘Get Involved’ section below.
Mitigating Climate Change with Nuclear Power
Electricity generation is currently dominated by fossil fuels with coal and gas responsible for 63% of total production. These fossil fuels contribute about 40% to the world’s CO2 emissions1.
Nuclear power is a low carbon energy source, with greenhouse gas emissions lower than most renewable sources, and comparable to wind sources (Figure 1).
Since 1970, nuclear power has prevented the emission of 64 Gt CO2 equivalent3. However in order to meet the Paris agreement of limiting rise in global temperatures to below 2 degrees, nuclear power capacity needs to increase.
Figure 2: Cumulative CO2 emissions (Gt) avoided by global nuclear power, 1971 – 2018. Source: International Energy Agency (IEA)2
Nuclear for Climate - Final Declaration COP26
COP26 Position Paper 2021 - Net Zero Needs Nuclear
Nuclear power is part of the solution for fighting climate change
11/2018
Nuclear energy is a key part of the solution to climate change
11/2018
Declaration
05/2015
Get involved
As a grassroots initiative, nuclear for climate relies on individuals to spread the cause. Get involved by sharing our message by downloading our resources- and become a nuclear climate hero today!
If you would like to become a delegate at future events, then contact nuclear4climate.cop27@gmail.com.
Follow updates on the Nuclear for Climate initiative at:
Other N4C websites:
https://nuclearforclimate.com.au – Nuclear for Climate Australia
http://www.sfen.org/nuclear-for-climate – Nuclear for Climate France
https://www.world-nuclear.org/focus/climate-change-and-nuclear-energy/nuclearforclimate.aspx – Nuclear for Climate World Nuclear Association
http://nuclearforclimateygn.org/ – Nuclear for Climate Young Generation
References:
1 IPCC. (2014). Energy Systems. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Available at: https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_chapter7.pdf
2 International Energy Agency. (2018). Nuclear Power in a Clean Energy System: A key source of low-carbon power. Accessed 24/07/19. Available at: https://www.iea.org/publications/nuclear/
3 Kharecha, P.A and Hansen, J.E. (2013). Prevented Mortality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Historical and Projected Nuclear Power. Environmental Science & Technology. 49, 9, 4889-4895. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1021/es3051197
Figure 1: Comparison of greenhouse gas emissions from energy sources (grams CO2 equivalent/kWh) Source: FORATOM/IPCC; copyright FORATOM