IAEA Director General: Nuclear energy has a lot to offer in the fight against climate change

The head of the UN Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday (9 November) that nuclear energy must be part of the solution to climate change.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the United Nations General Assembly that despite trillions of dollars spent on the green transition over the past 20 years, hydrocarbons that contribute to climate warming still account for more than 80% of global energy.

According to the IAEA, more carbon dioxide emissions contributed to climate warming in 2022 than in any year since records began in 1900, as a result of the post-pandemic rebound in air tourism and more cities turning to coal as a low-cost source of electricity.

Grossi warned that without nuclear power, global carbon dioxide emissions would increase significantly. It is reported that more than a quarter of nuclear power is low-carbon power.

Interest in nuclear energy is growing as it decarbonizes not only the grid but also various sectors, including sustainable heating for domestic and industrial production, as well as drinking water from desalination operations.

But even so, Grossi said that "nuclear power's share of global electricity production has fallen by about half over the past 20 years," Grossi said, citing safety concerns.

Developing countries are vigorously deployed

Grossi revealed that more than 400 nuclear reactors in more than 30 countries are currently powering the world, with more than 50 more under construction, and many countries are extending existing nuclear programs. "Of the approximately 30 countries that are currently considering or embarking on the introduction of nuclear power, more than half are in developing countries, most of them in Africa," he added. ”

Electricity capacity is expected to grow fivefold in Africa and double in Latin America by 2050.

In addition, growing interest in nuclear energy around the world is prompting the agency to revise upwards its production forecasts, with the IAEA projecting global nuclear energy production capacity to reach 873 gigawatts by 2050.

At the same time, he sounded the alarm that "to achieve such growth, we will need a better investment climate, one that can take into account the full benefits of nuclear energy." ”