Alternative to fossil energy - States promote expansion of nuclear power in Dubai
Unlike Germany, some countries are pushing ahead with the construction of new nuclear power plants. At the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, several countries are going on the offensive to promote the increased use of nuclear power.
A group of around 20 countries has called for the expansion of nuclear power at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai. Participants in the published joint declaration include the USA, France, the UK and the host country, the United Arab Emirates. The aim is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, they said. The focus in Dubai is on the expansion of renewable energies.
The group of states called for the installed capacity of nuclear power plants worldwide to be tripled by 2050 - compared to the 2020 level. The declaration was distributed by US climate envoy John Kerry. The signatories also include Belgium, Finland, Japan, Poland, Sweden and Ukraine, but not Russia and China, which also have a large number of nuclear power plants.
Kerry referred to statements from the scientific community according to which climate neutrality by 2050 "is not achievable" without nuclear power. The declaration also calls for international financial institutions to promote the expansion of nuclear power. This is currently excluded in some of their statutes. Critics point to the risks associated with nuclear power, unresolved waste disposal issues and high costs.
No consensus
The focus of the climate conference is on the expansion of renewable energies. On Friday, a majority of more than 110 countries backed the goal, also supported by Germany, of tripling their output by 2030 and doubling energy efficiency by the same date. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pointed this out in Dubai.
The EU had already spoken out in favor of these targets in the spring. "I call on everyone to include these targets in the final declaration of the climate conference," said von der Leyen. While there is broad support for the expansion of renewables in Dubai, there are differing positions on the move away from fossil fuels, which should go hand in hand with this - as well as on nuclear power.
Germany ended the use of nuclear power for energy generation in April. Nuclear power currently accounts for just under ten percent of global electricity generation. The highest level was 17.5 percent in 1996.
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At the aforementioned UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the USA, along with Belgium, France, and Great Britain, supported a call for the expansion of nuclear power. Despite some countries promoting the construction of new nuclear power plants, like the USA and others mentioned, Germany is not among them, having ceased nuclear power generation in April. During the conference, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the support for tripling renewable energy output and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, a goal shared by over 110 countries, but differing opinions on phasing out fossil fuels and the role of nuclear power were evident.
Source: www.ntv.de
