Nuclear Must Be Part Of COP21 Solution, Says ANS President

19 Oct (NucNet): The Bonn Agreement from COP6 in 2001 is “a significant threat” to any realistic plan to ratify an agreement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent by 2050 because it would place significant limitations on nuclear energy, Eugene Grecheck, president of the American Nuclear Society said. Ratification is due to take place at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in December. Writing in the online publication thehill.com, Mr Grecheck said the Bonn Agreement, “an outdated holdover” from COP6, would put major difficulties in the way of developing nations wishing to make nuclear part of their energy and climate strategy because nuclear projects could be prohibited from receiving financial assistance from the climate pact’s sizable development mechanisms. The proposal would prevent developed nations from counting the emissions reductions of nuclear plants constructed after 1997 towards their carbon target. Mr Grecheck said he had written to President Barack Obama urging him to instruct the US COP21 delegation to support removal of the Bonn language during the deliberations and help lead a “Coalition of the Realistic” to ensure that if any agreement is reached, nations are free to pursue their clean energy commitments without arbitrary limitations on the technological pathways they choose.