Is nuclear power the solution to climate change?
Oxfam is not qualified to assess or evaluate which specific energy technologies and solution are best for each society. In general, we believe energy solutions must: • Be consistent with an urgent and radical shift to a low carbon future consistent with what action on climate change requires; • Contribute to delivering modern energy services to the billions of people around the world who do not currently have access to them; and, • Be cost effective under conditions that ensure the above. By any measure, nuclear power is not one of these. The most important consideration is that nuclear energy generation cannot currently be installed fast enough over the next 10–15 years, when low carbon alternatives are required. Quite apart from the problems of nuclear waste and security risks, nuclear energy is also a very expensive form of energy that is not without its own carbon footprint.
