{"id":30800,"date":"2021-05-14T08:58:47","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T12:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cna.ca\/?p=30800"},"modified":"2021-05-14T09:01:39","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T13:01:39","slug":"net-zero-needs-nuclear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cna.ca\/fr\/2021\/05\/14\/net-zero-needs-nuclear\/","title":{"rendered":"Net Zero Needs Nuclear"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"associations.png\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Last month, world leaders met to stress the need for urgent actions to address climate change. The Leaders Summit on Climate Change\u2014and the commitments discussed\u2014occurred against a daunting backdrop: economies around the world have less than thirty years to cut overall carbon emissions to net zero. Next month, the G7 will take up this challenge, as will international partners in Milan before COP26. These meetings offer a critical chance to set a bold new direction in our fight against climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our success in this fight will require energy\u2014low-carbon energy to transform our systems and carbon-intensive sectors of our economies. As Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, has observed, \u201cenergy is a good thing\u2014the problem is emissions.\u201d Nations across the world will have to produce much more low-carbon energy than we do today to drive sustainable development. In this endeavour they should be guided by a realistic, science-based approach. To quote Dr Birol again, \u201cwe do not have the luxury to exclude any clean energy technologies if we are serious about climate change.\u201d Nuclear energy must be part of that clean energy mix, and we must show the same ambition for nuclear as for other clean technologies in the pursuit of net zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nuclear is the largest source of clean electricity in developed economies and the second largest globally. For decades, it has provided the firm, reliable, low-carbon generation our economies need and the long-term, well-paying jobs our citizens deserve. As we electrify additional sectors across the global economy, demand for clean power will surge. Nuclear energy will allow us to expand generating capacity with a minimal environmental footprint, while nuclear reactors can also be used to create green hydrogen, decarbonize heavy industry, and desalinize water. New nuclear designs based on proven technologies will mean that any country, large or small, can deploy nuclear to improve their energy security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it is essential to seize the opportunity to build additional clean energy capacity now, urgent action is also needed to preserve our existing low-carbon generation. By 2040, more than 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity are due to retire, the single greatest loss of clean power in world history. Over the same period, the IEA estimates that global electricity demand will increase 50%. To ensure this new generation is carbon-free, governments around the world need to support the deployment of nuclear to partner with other low-carbon technologies such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As global policy makers, we urge you to take immediate steps to prevent the premature closure of existing nuclear generation capacity and to accelerate the scale and timeframe for investment in new nuclear capacity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n