More than 20 nations including the US yesterday called for a tripling of nuclear energy to drive down emissions as world leaders assembled for a second day at UN climate talks in Dubai.
With smoggy skies in Dubai highlighting the challenges facing the world, other pledges were expected at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), including stepping up the deployment of renewable energy and cutting methane emissions.
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.
Photo: AFP
However, 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 global 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 Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said at the conference.
“But we know because the science and the reality of facts and evidence tell us that you can’t get to net zero 2050 without some nuclear,” he said.
The other signatories include the UK, France, South Korea, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but nuclear powers Russia and China did not sign up.
Environmental group 350.org said the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011 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,” 350.org North American director Jeff Ordower said.
The declaration came as more world leaders took the stage at COP28 for the second day in a row, although US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were skipping the talks.
Nations at the COP28 talks are also expected to adopt a goal of tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.
The discussions about the renewables goal are closely linked to far more difficult negotiations about whether a final COP28 deal would commit nations to phasing down — or phasing out — all fossil fuels. The US and China, the world’s two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, and the UAE were yesterday to host a summit on methane emissions.
Ahead of the talks, Biden’s administration announced it would tighten curbs on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, a critical step toward meeting its commitments to reduce the powerful greenhouse gas.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Kamala Harris said that Washington would pledge US$3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, as she urged leaders to accelerate work, increase investments and lead with “courage and conviction.”
The fund, with more than US$20 billion in pledges, is the largest international fund dedicated to supporting climate action in developing countries.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
RSS