A file photo shows one of two wind turbines in front of a coalfired power plant in Germany. — Photo: Ina Fassbender/Portal A file photo shows wind turbines in front of a coalfired power plant in Germany. — Photo: Ina Fassbender/Portal
A group of 118 countries, including Brazil, committed to it this Saturday (2) during COP 28 triple to improve its renewable energy capacity by 2030, and twenty others also pledged to triple nuclear energy production by 2050, a gesture considered historic.
Although China and India have signaled their support for the initiative, neither of these countries have signed the global commitment, according to Portal.
The agreement was led by the European Union, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. In addition to Brazil, countries such as Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Canada, Chile and Barbados are on the list of signatories to the pact.
The text stipulates that countries must do this “work together” Increase global renewable capacity (including wind, solar and hydropower) to up to 11,000 gigawatts (GW), compared to currently around 3,400 GW.
However, this goal is It is not mandatory and take into account “the different starting points and national circumstances” of each signatory country, said a statement from the conference chair.
“This can and will contribute to the world’s unbridled transition away from coal,” said Sultan alJaber, President of COP 28.
“For Brazil, a tripling of global clean energy means we are soon reaching the end of our energy transition and can benefit on the external front from the opening of markets for our renewable energy exports not just traditional biofuels, but who knows, green.” Hydrogen and others,” says Natalie Unterstell, president of the Talanoa Institute.
For the NGO, despite the positive signs in the fight against deforestation, this movement strengthens the bloc of oil producers and contradicts the urgent and necessary energy transition that Brazil and the world need to face the growing climate crisis.
2 of 2 The Petersburg Generating Station in the US state of Indiana is one of several coalfired power plants in the United States. — Photo: AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel The Petersburg Generating Station in Indiana is one of several coalfired power plants in the United States. — Photo: AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel
The debate over renewable energy and the nuclear option has been going on for decades, although organizations such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) insist that both options are fully compatible.
The nuclear accidents at Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) played into the hands of nuclear critics, especially environmental organizations.
Countries like Germany have given up their nuclear power plants, but crises like the war in Ukraine raise doubts about drastic measures like these.
The United States, France and Japan are among the group of twenty countries poised to triple their nuclear energy production by midcentury.
“The facts and evidence show that it is not possible to achieve netzero emissions by 2050 without nuclear energy,” said US Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
“We are not arguing that this will be an absolutely radical alternative to any other energy source,” Kerry told AFP.
“We don’t have time to waste on dangerous distractions like nuclear energy,” said Jeff Ordower, North America director of the environmental group 350.org.
“For advanced nuclear energy to live up to its promise, policymakers must make serious commitments,” the Californiabased Breakthrough Institute said in a recent article.
The last time the World Bank financed a nuclear project was in 1959, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi recalled in an interview with AFP.
Signatories to the COP28 pronuclear declaration include developing countries like Mongolia and Morocco, warring countries like Ukraine whose power plants are threatened by Russian forces, and major fossil fuel producers like the United Arab Emirates.
According to IAEA calculations, 412 nuclear reactors in 31 countries currently provide almost 10% of total global electricity production. This corresponded to an output of 2,545 terawatts (TWh) in 2022. One terawatt is equal to 1,000 gigawatts.
According to a 2020 joint IEAIAEA report, nuclear energy is the most profitable compared to investments per gigawatt generated from renewable sources.
What can we expect from COP 28?