COP28: Calls for more nuclear and less 'destructive' methane
United States led calls at UN climate talks Saturday for efforts to curb methane emissions but also pushed a deeply controversial drive to boost nuclear energy to curb global warming.
With smoggy skies in Dubai highlighting the challenges facing the world, other pledges are expected at the COP28 conference, including stepping up the deployment of renewable energy.
The use of nuclear power as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels is highly controversial as environmental groups are concerned about safety and the disposal of nuclear waste.
But more than 20 nations ranging from the US to Ghana, Japan and several European countries said in a declaration that it plays a «key role» in the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century.
They called for the tripling of nuclear energy capacity by 2050 from 2020 levels.
«We are not making the argument to anybody that this is absolutely going to be a sweeping alternative to every other energy source,» US climate envoy John Kerry said at COP28.
«But we know because (of) the science and the reality of facts… that you can't get to net zero 2050 without some nuclear,» he said.
The other signatories include Britain, France, South Korea, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.
But nuclear powers Russia and China did not sign up.
Environmental group 350.org said the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan highlighted the dangers of atomic power.
«While we appreciate that the Biden administration is looking to invest in alternatives to fossil fuels, we don't have time to waste on dangerous distractions like nuclear energy,» said its North American director Jeff Ordower.
Experts point to the fact that nuclear plants can take decades to go into service.
«Nuclear energy takes
