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September 10, 2020
The UK’s first citizens’ assembly on climate change said today that it has set out “a clear, internally consistent and timely path” on how the UK can reach its legally binding target of net zero emissions by 2050 in its final report released today. . . In response, the UK Nuclear Industry Association said the goal of “four times as clean energy as now” will require nuclear power as part of the energy mix if it is to be achieved.
Some members of the citizens’ assembly (Image: Climate Assembly UK)
Six select committees in the House of Commons tasked the citizens’ assembly with understanding the public’s preferences for how the UK should tackle climate change because of the impact these decisions will have on people’s lives. Today Climate Assembly UK returns their work to the committees with its final report, The path to net zero, issuing strong calls to Parliament and the government to take up the challenge of achieving the net zero goal “in a clear and responsible manner”.
In an opening statement to the report, Assembly members said it is “imperative that there is strong and clear leadership from the government” that should “forge a cross-party consensus that allows for certainty, long-term planning and a transition through stages “and emphasize that” now is not the time to score points from political parties. “
In response to calls for strong government leadership and cross-party cooperation, the chairmen of the six commissioned select committees have written a letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to ensure that the government acts in accordance with the Climate Assembly UK’s recommendations by “show leadership at the highest level of government” before the UK hosts COP26 in November 2021.
In the letter to Boris Johnson, the Assembly wrote that its report “provides a unique insight into the thinking of an informed public on the compensations and changes that will be necessary to help meet the goal that Parliament has agreed to.”
According to the report, members of the Assembly “supported much less” bioenergy, nuclear and fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage. Around 35% of assembly members “fully agreed” or “agreed” that nuclear power should be part of how the UK goes to net zero, 18% were “unsafe” and 46 % “strongly disagree” or “disagree”.
Members of the Assembly saw three main disadvantages of nuclear energy: its cost, safety and problems related to the storage and dismantling of waste.
Tom Greatrex, executive director of the NIA, said that the people who participated in the Citizens’ Assembly “want to see real action” to reach net zero: more electric vehicles, decarbonisation of home heating and stop the burning of fuels. fossils as the main way to generate electricity. .
“As the Committee on Climate Change has shown, Net Zero means four times more clean energy than it does now for the UK to stop burning polluting fossil fuels. Safe, reliable and emission-free nuclear power is needed for Net Zero, to complement the wind and solar power but also creating long-term skilled jobs as part of the ecological recovery we need for Net Zero to happen. “
Researched and written by World Nuclear News
