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Global leaders cannot afford to ignore case for nuclear at COP26

By Andy Bates, Nuclear South West

Climate change will be at the top of the global agenda in a month’s time when the COP26 United Nations summit takes place in Glasgow.

COP26 – or the 26th Climate Change Conference of the Parties to give it its full title – will see climate change in the spotlight like never before.

According to the Reuters news agency, COP26 will aim to secure more ambitious climate action from the nearly 200 countries who signed the 2015 Paris Agreement to try to limit human-cause global warming.

Whatever they decide to do, one thing is for certain - they can not afford to ignore nuclear because it is central to the UK’s net zero vision, as set out in our Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan and Energy White Paper.

The evidence is there for all to see. Nuclear power has saved more carbon emissions and displaced more coal in the UK than any other source, and more globally than all sources except hydroelectric.

This directly supports the COP26 UK Presidency’s emphasis on phasing out coal worldwide.

For perspective, one kilogram of uranium can release three million times the energy of a kilogram of coal.

Nuclear also has the lowest lifecycle carbon footprint, alongside wind, of any electricity source, and the lowest physical footprint of any zero-carbon generator.

This power and efficiency is why nuclear, including large, small, and advanced modular reactors, is key to the UK and global energy transition.

Nuclear is vital to UK energy security: it is the only source that doesn’t rely on the weather, other countries, or carbon.

Since six of the UK’s seven nuclear power stations will retire by 2030, new investment is required now to cut emissions, secure our skills base, and create jobs in a net zero economy.

As part of the UN Race to Zero campaign, writing for Insider Media, David Ralph, chief executive at Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership promises the LEP will place the region on a resilient pathway to net zero by the 2040s or sooner.

The LEP is actively working collectively to drive clean and inclusive economic growth in its role as a convener, collaborator, funder and deliverer.

Elsewhere, the Young Generation Network (YGN) arm of the Nuclear Institute is spearheading the Net Zero Needs Nuclear campaign in support of nuclear energy forming part of the solution to achieve net-zero by 2050.

In a wide-ranging Q&A for the Nuclear South West website, Bristol-based YGN member James Barker explains what the organisation is doing to make net-zero a reality and why the region will play an integral role in the national drive towards those targets.

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