Nuclear power won't save the climate!

The French nuclear firm EDF was sponsoring COP21 and tried to promote its nuclear-based electricity mix as climate-friendly. To counter this greenwashing the French antinuclear network "Sortir du nucléaire" launched a campaign and was acting during the COP, together with many organizations from all over the world.

Nuclear power won't save the climate!
EDF, the firm that runs all French NPPs, was sponsoring COP21 and tried to promote itself as clean, cool and climate-friendly. It displayed adds about its "98% carbon-free" electricity and was promoting ten nice green projects on social medias to make people forget about the risks and polluting associated with nuclear power.

In response to this big greenwashing, the French antinuclear network "Sortir du nucléaire" launched the campaign "Le nucléaire ne sauvera pas le climat" (Nuclear power won't save the climate!). In order to counter the pronuclear propaganda, Sortir du nucléaire and other French NGOs ordered a report to Yves Marignac, from the independent agency WISE Paris, which underlines that nuclear power is not only risky, but also a poor mitigation option and that it blocks the development of real climate solutions. The report can be downloaded at: A small leaflet was written to sum up the main conclusions (see the text of the English version: http://sortirdunucleaire.org/Nuclear-power-a-false-solution-to-climate-change-44205).
 * http://sortirdunucleaire.org/WISE-nucleaire-climat

Sortir du nucléaire was also suing EDF at the Jury de déontologie publicitaire, a French panel on advertisement ethics, about its communication on its so-called "98% carbon-free" electricity. Probably fearing a bad result before the COP, EDF asked the audience to be postponed on the 11th of December, when the COP was almost over! A petition was also launched to ask EDF to stop using this "carbon-free" argument.

On the 3rd of November, les Amis de la Terre (Friends of Earth France) launched the Pinocchio Climate Award, which aims to point out the worst polluters and greenwashers among multinational firms. EDF is nominated for its greenwashing on "climate-friendly" nuclear power and for hiding its 16 coal plants all over the world. The vote to make EDF win the award made them feel quite uncomfortable about getting it in the middle of the COP!
 * http://www.pinocchio-awards.org/nomine/edf/

For the COP, big mobilizations took place in and near Paris. Together with several organizations from all over the world gathered in the "Don't nuke the climate" coalition, Sortir du nucléaire intended to make antinuclear actions visible during the COP and especially during the big demonstrations. Antinuclear organizations from all over the world were invited to sign the call "Don't nuke the climate!”, which was supported by more than 400 groups and was handed over during the COP: http://www.wiseinternational.org/campaign/sign-petition

''Update: Due to the attacks in Paris and resulting minimized democratic rights in France, the planned big international demonstrations were cancelled. Instead, a number of smaller events took place in Paris during the COP as well as several decentralized solidarity rallies in other countries.''