Nuclear energy made history at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (the Dubai COP28), when 198 countries included nuclear energy in the list of low emission technologies that need to be scaled up if we’re to end our dependence on fossil fuels.
By Gursimran Kaur
Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency has batted for nuclear fuel to achieve decarbonisation by 2050. He was quoted by UN News.
Speaking on the growth of nuclear energy, public perception, policies, and understanding, Mariano Grossi said that nuclear is already playing a big role in clean energy delivery, adding that more than a third of the clean, CO2 free energy produced today in the world is nuclear. “It is already part of the solution,” he said.
Despite the potential of nuclear power as a safe fuel, nuclear energy has faced backlash, he said, saying that people have been misinformed about the capabilities of nuclear power due to incidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima.
“When you look at the statistics, you will see that, in terms of mortality, nuclear energy is even lower than some renewable energies,” he said, adding that contrary to perception that thousands died because of the Fukushima nuclear accident. “In truth, thousands of people were killed by the tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011 – not a single person died from radiation.”
Intelligent energy mixes
“In order to be decarbonised by 2050,” meaning to achieve zero carbon emissions, “we do not need to shelve the low-carbon, long-term, and more reliable energy resource of nuclear energy.”
He said that the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recognized that, without nuclear energy, it will be almost impossible to decarbonize by 2050.
Nuclear energy made history at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (the Dubai COP28), when 198 countries included nuclear energy in the list of low emission technologies that need to be scaled up if we’re to end our dependence on fossil fuels.
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we want to go 100 per cent nuclear,” he said. “We believe in intelligent energy mixes, where nuclear is the baseload energy,” insisting that nuclear energy is very stable, it is available come rain or shine, it can be regulated and integrated with renewables.
“Today we are seeing the growth of nuclear energy in the global south, from India and China, to Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Bangladesh, and South Africa – several African countries are interested in the development of small modular reactors, which are more affordable.”
Small carbon footprint
Mariano Grossi further elaborated on the potential benefits and risks of nuclear energy. “Like any important industrial activity, nuclear energy does carry risks,” he said, giving the example of nuclear waste, he said, it is well managed, and the amounts of waste are limited. “After 70 years of commercial operation, there has never been a problem with waste, compared to the waste from fossil fuels, which is killing the planet.”
“Nuclear energy has a small carbon footprint as compared to fossil fuels like coal and oil,” he said. “While wind and solar energy are significant sources of renewable energy, they rely on the weather. (But) nuclear energy is much more reliable.”
“We have around 440 nuclear reactors operating worldwide without any hiccups or problems. But we are also responsible for nuclear security, which is why our agency has been proactive in Ukraine to avoid any accidents.”
In addition to energy production, Mariano Grossi highlighted the IAEA’s contributions to other scientific fields, giving the example of how the agency supports oncology and radiotherapy in developing countries, improves food security through irradiation techniques, and aids in the early detection of pathogens and zoonosis.
