Despite having gained a bad reputation due to its previous uses in wars, nuclear energy is considered one of the most important sources of clean energy. It garnered attention during the events of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) at Expo Dubai in the UAE.
"COP29" is a crucial milestone for parties and stakeholders to consider the necessary measures to maintain the possibility of achieving the 1.5-degree Celsius target and to announce new actions that can contribute to accelerating the transition to clean and inclusive energy during this decade.
During the third day of the COP29, progress was made towards tripling nuclear capacity by 2050, a goal emphasized by the "UAE Agreement," which calls for accelerating nuclear energy as part of the solutions to the climate crisis as it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
During the COP29 events, six new countries—El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Nigeria, and Turkey—joined the COP28 pledge to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, bringing the total number of countries to 31.
The "UAE Agreement" represents a global framework to enable the global energy sector to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, with a commitment to ambitious goals that include transitioning to an energy system free from traditional fuel sources whose emissions are not mitigated, tripling renewable energy capacity, doubling energy efficiency improvements, and accelerating the deployment of low-emission technologies, such as renewable energy, nuclear energy, and mitigation and removal technologies by 2030.
Why nuclear energy?
There are many reasons that make nuclear energy an effective option for climate solutions, including:
1: Air quality
Nuclear energy is considered one of the cleanest sources of energy; it is produced through the process of fission, during which uranium atoms are split. The heat generated from fission is used to produce steam, which in turn is used to operate turbines to generate electricity. In this case, greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate global warming and affect air quality are not produced, which spares humans from many health problems caused by air pollution, such as lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and others.
2: A smaller carbon footprint
Nuclear energy is characterized by its ability to produce very large amounts of clean energy on a smaller land area, which reduces the carbon footprint resulting from the materials needed for its construction compared to other clean energy sources.
3: Less waste
The waste generated from nuclear power generation can be recycled, making it cleaner compared to clean energy sources that produce vast amounts of waste without treatment or recycling.
4: Road to net zero
Nuclear energy, as we mentioned, has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions, making it a suitable solution to the climate crisis to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, which include not exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels and reaching the net-zero target by 2050.
At COP29
COP28 highlighted the urgent need to promote nuclear energy, and the COP29 events, that are taking place from November 11 to 22, 2024, have many goals, with a clear focus on transitioning to renewable energy on its agenda, as emphasized by the conference presidency. On the other hand, nuclear energy experts aspire to accelerate the integration of nuclear energy into climate action as one of the promising solutions to the climate crisis.
