Dear friends,
Please endorse the following
joint appeal as organization.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJVwBY00OLYX7aoAWOnqkk5Led22g2Z8BUt_u-dng4lrymcQ/viewformThe
following organisations support and sign this declaration:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pPQol07GeKd6ezGJ7JHqX9CXHtZa-aRrL_DDOssFWao/editCivil
society statement for safe, affordable and climate friendly energy for
all
On 21 March 2024, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the
Prime Minister of Belgium will invite world leaders for the "first ever nuclear
energy summit" in Brussels. The nuclear industry and its political supporters
will be looking for some cash under the pretext of the climate crisis. But the
truth is it is too slow, too expensive and too risky to make a difference and
will divert efforts away from real solutions. Civil society organisations from
different parts of Europe and the world drafted a statement to demand safe,
affordable and climate-friendly energy for all instead.
We would be very
grateful for your support of this joint statement.
Our goal is to
involve as many signatory organisations as possible from all over the
world.
If your organisation would like to endorse the statement, please
fill out the form below by Thursday 14 March EOB.
We will publish the
statement on 21 March. Each signatory organisation can publish the text on their
own on 21 March.
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joint statement
Safe,
affordable and climate-friendly energy for all
The international nuclear
lobby, at the invitation of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Prime
Minister of Belgium, will hold a nuclear energy summit in Brussels on 21 March
2024. The nuclear lobby camouflages itself beneath a climate-friendly facade,
hoping to divert massive sums of money away from real climate solutions, at the
expense of people and the planet.
The world faces multiple social,
environmental and economic crises. People are worried about the cost of living,
extreme weather events linked to climate change, and their energy bills.
Lobbyists and politicians at the nuclear energy summit will present building new
nuclear power plants as the answer, but this does not pass a basic reality
check.
New nuclear power is too slow to tackle the climate emergency.
Nuclear power plants under development have been severely delayed and won’t be
able to meaningfully contribute to cutting carbon emissions this decade. Whereas
greenhouse gas emissions must be drastically cut by 2030 to limit global
temperature rise to less than 1.5 degrees, any new nuclear plants announced
today would not be connected to the grid until well past this deadline. New
nuclear power plants are a distraction which slows down the energy transition. A
rapid shift away from fossil fuels should instead focus on building a 100%
renewable energy system coupled with energy efficiency and measures to avoid
excessive energy use. Together, these steps can meet the world’s energy needs in
a way that is fair, environmentally friendly, and achievable.
Nuclear
energy is much more expensive than renewables. While nuclear projects face huge
budget overruns and cancellations due to sky-rocketing costs, renewables are
cheaper than ever before, declining sharply in relative costs compared to
nuclear. New nuclear power plants are up to nearly four times as expensive as
wind power, according to the 2023 World Nuclear Industry Status Report.
Governments need to invest in proven climate solutions, such as home insulation,
public transport, and renewable energy, rather than expensive experiments, like
small modular reactors, which have no guarantees of actually
delivering.
Nuclear power is dangerous. From mining for uranium to
radioactive waste, nuclear power production is a risk to people’s health,
safety, and the environment. Nuclear power can be used as military targets and
increase the risk of spreading nuclear weapons across the world, the use of
depleted uranium and atomic bombs. The climate crisis also increases the risks
involved in nuclear power, as increased heatwaves, droughts, storms, and
flooding all pose significant threats to the plants themselves and to the
systems that aim to prevent nuclear accidents.
We are living in a climate
emergency. Time is precious, and too many governments are wasting it with
nuclear energy fairy tales. What we demand is a just transition towards a safe,
renewable and affordable energy system that secures jobs and protects life on
our planet.
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in solidarity,
Sato Daisuke
No
Nukes Asia Forum Japan
sdai...@rice.ocn.ne.jphttps://www.nonukesasiaforum.org/japan/https://www.facebook.com/nnafjapan