US committee hears plea for Green Nuclear Deal

Environmental advocate Michael Shellenberger has called for the US administration to support the nation's nuclear energy industry in what he calls a Green Nuclear Deal. Speaking to the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology last week, Shellenberger said people need not be passive victims of climate change and there is much that could be done to reduce the impacts of "climate-driven extremes".

Energy & Environment 22 January 2020

British PM promotes low-carbon economic growth for Africa

The UK will no longer fund coal projects overseas, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today during his opening address at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London. Instead, the government will "turbo-charge" its support for low-carbon energy sources, he said, noting that the UK has cut its CO2 emissions by 42% from the 1990 level. The country is the host of the next round of UN climate talks - COP26 - in November.

Energy & Environment 20 January 2020

Austria fails to turn neighbours against nuclear power

Austria failed to dent the Visegrád Group of countries' enthusiasm for nuclear power as a solution to climate change during their meeting in Prague yesterday. This was evident during a press conference held after the V4 and Austria summit by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and the Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak prime ministers, Andrej Babiš, Viktor Orbán, Mateusz Morawiecki and Peter Pellegrini, respectively.

Nuclear Policies 17 January 2020

EU Green Deal ignores its own biggest clean energy source

The European Commission yesterday unveiled its plan for at least EUR1 trillion (USD1.1 trillion) in sustainable investments over the next decade. The European Green Deal Investment Plan is the investment pillar of the Green Deal, which aims to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.

Energy & Environment 15 January 2020

UK's net-zero goal needs new nuclear, says Atkins

Engineering firm Atkins has published a new report detailing the investment in low-carbon energy needed for the UK to achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050. The report - titled Engineering Net Zero - calls for the government to significantly increase investment in nuclear power.

Energy & Environment 13 January 2020

IAEA explains nuclear's vital role in a carbon-free future 

Nuclear power provides 10% of global electricity, but to stem climate change the world is going to need far greater amounts of clean and reliable energy, the International Atomic Energy Agency says in a short film it published today. To tackle climate change, 80% of all electricity will need to be low carbon by 2050.

Energy & Environment 08 January 2020

Viewpoint: The atom made Sweden a climate hero

Sweden has been a great nation for many decades thanks, not to military might nor financial muscle, but to its energy policy. A leader in sustainable development, the country undeniably proved that it is possible to cut emissions dramatically and increase living standards. And it proved this long before climate change became the political issue it is today, write Agneta Rising and John Lindberg, respectively, director general and writer & analyst at World Nuclear Association.

Perspectives 13 January 2020

US study estimates costs of German nuclear phase-out

Germany's phase-out of nuclear power and increased use instead of fossil fuels could have led to 1100 additional deaths each year from air pollution, according to a study by economists at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of California at Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Energy & Environment 03 January 2020

Mothers for Nuclear urge understanding of nuclear as safe, clean energy

In a letter to the Financial Times, Heather Hoff and Kristin Zaitz of Mothers for Nuclear write that nuclear power is the safest way to generate reliable electricity. "Right now, across the US, we are closing perfectly good existing nuclear plants because of low natural gas prices and discriminatory policies that, in the name of climate action, support renewables but not carbon-free nuclear energy," they wrote.

Energy & Environment 02 January 2020

Viewpoint: Nuclear energy - from recognition to results

Nuclear power's role in the clean-energy solution must be agreed universally this year, writes Agneta Rising, director general of World Nuclear Association.

"The IPCC Global Warming of 1.5°C report of 2018 made clear not only the need to take urgent action to combat climate change, but also the need for nuclear energy to make a much greater contribution to electricity supplies. In 2019 a broad range of expert bodies recognized how nuclear energy is vital to ensure that electricity supplies needed for modern life are available to all, while respecting the environment and tackling climate change ..."

Perspectives 07 January 2020