Will COP21 be used to promote nuclear power, uranium mining?

[Oscar]

Will COP21 be used to promote nuclear power, uranium mining?

[ http://canadians.org/blog/will-cop21-be ... ium-mining ]

December 29, 2015 - 9:45 am

The nuclear industry will likely be using the Paris climate agreement to advocate for more nuclear power as a solution to the climate crisis.

Nuclear power advocate James Conca writes in Forbes, "Nuclear power was discussed in Paris as a major climate mitigation option, appearing as a significant component of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of major emitters including China, the United States and India." He highlights that, "The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that, in order to meet any desired emissions goals, the share of nuclear energy in global electricity production needs to rise from about 400 GW to 1,000 GW by 2050, producing about 9 trillion kWhs/year, at a construction cost of about $8 trillion."
[ http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/ ... ar-energy/ ]

And Reuters now reports, "The metal that powers nuclear reactors has been gradually recovering from a sharp decline in the wake of Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011, and has gained this year... It is expected to climb further, according to analysts, after governments forged a landmark agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a global climate summit in Paris last month – a move that supports nuclear power generation and, in turn, uranium. Nuclear power stations currently provide about 11 per cent of the world’s electricity, but the share is likely to increase as China and India expand their capabilities."
[ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-in ... 1901&ord=1 ]

That article notes that the average price for uranium was about US$33 a pound in 2014 and about US$39 a pound in 2015, but "Merrill Lynch and BMO Nesbitt Burns forecast uranium prices will rise to test $60 a pound by 2018." That is likely to mean more uranium mining in this country. Canada is the world's second largest producer of uranium and Saskatoon-based Cameco is the world's largest listed uranium mining company. BNN reports that, "Situated in northern Saskatchewan, the Athabasca Basin is the source of almost all of Canada’s recent uranium production and home of the world’s highest-grade uranium deposits."
[ http://www.bnn.ca/News/2015/12/22/Canad ... nanza.aspx ]

But Gdansk-based Greenpeace nuclear energy and energy policy specialist Jan Haverkamp says that the claim that nuclear energy is essential for reaching greenhouse gas emission reduction targets is utterly false. He says, "There are now piles of scenarios that include different options for reaching decarbonisation targets that do not include nuclear energy. To say that it cannot be done is a total PR strategy." [ http://www.france24.com/en/20151208-cop ... -struggles ]

In his paper Nuclear Power and Climate Change: A risky and dangerous diversion from solutions, which was released just prior to COP21, [ http://www.greenpeace.org/international ... Change.pdf ] Haverkamp wrote, "The nuclear industry’s public relations machine is in over-drive in the run-up to the Paris climate conference. ...[The] claim that nuclear is part of the solution has to be rejected. The imperative of phasing out fossil fuels must not lead to a renaissance of nuclear power."

The Council of Canadians has spoken against nuclear power and uranium mining, which creates toxic tailings and poses water contamination and other environmental risks and health hazards. Our formal statement of opposition says, "The Council of Canadians calls for a ban on all uranium exploration and mining strengthening of legislation to ensure that any exploration or mining of other materials does not disturb or uncover uranium deposits and fair just transition programs for all communities and workers involved in the uranium mining industry."


Further reading

Council of Canadians supports the "Declaration of the World Uranium Symposium" (April 23, 2015)
[ http://canadians.org/blog/council-canad ... -symposium ]

Prince Albert chapter works for sustainable energy, against nuclear waste dumps (March 11, 2014)
[ http://canadians.org/blog/prince-albert ... aste-dumps ]

Saint John chapter expresses concern about fracking, nuclear power (Dec. 2, 2011)
[ http://canadians.org/node/8031 ]

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]