Conference: Climate Crisis - Why nuclear is not helping

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The climate crisis is the biggest challenge we humans face. At the same time, nuclear energy is trying to make a come-back after the disasters of Chernobyl and Fukushima. While nuclear lobbyists have stopped claiming new plants would be competitive long ago, they now hope to receive new subsidies by arguing their technology can contribute to a low CO2 electricity system. In order to do so, they enroll those few IPCC scenarios which include some share of nuclear electricity and to ‘cherry pick’ some IEA forecasts. In doing so, they hope to influence the EU and its bank EIB to find new money for new nuclear.

This international conference, which takes place at the same time as IAEA’s very first climate conference on October 7 2019, will examine the hard evidence-base, the facts and figures - in order to prepare strategies to halt fresh money for the outdated technology that is nuclear. The key question is: Are those forecasts which support the use of nuclear accurate - or are they unfairly biased? Also the issue of whether this dying industry is able the new innovative designs and how quickly will be examined at this conference.

To participate in the conference, you have to register here (attendance is free):

Program

Day 1 - 07. October 2019
Conference Part I

10:30

Registration at ARCOTEL Kaiserwasser, Vienna (across the road of IAEA)

11:00 – 11:30

Welcome: Organizer, video messages

11:30 – 12:00

Key note

12:00 – 12:30

Small Modular Reactors: Presentation of ongoing study project on SMRs Costs for accident and costs of liability

Speaker: Paul Dorfman, The Energy Institute, University College London

12:30 – 13:00

Role of nuclear and climate goals in renowned scenarios from IEA, IAEA, IPCC Critical look at forecasts Overestimated for nuclear and underestimated for renewables? What do they really tell us? Nuclear generation increases, on average by around 2.5 times by 2050 in the 89 mitigation scenarios considered by the IPCC (?) What the IPCC report also says about nuclear (leukemia, proliferation) Preferable scenarios

Speaker: IPCC (IIASA) authors, and/or other energy experts

Lunch break
Conference Part II

14:30–15:30

Exclusive Presentation of the WNSIR 2019 by Mycle Schneider and the author of the special chapter on Nuclear Power and Climate Change by Amory Lovins RMI For nuclear to be considered a feasible option in managing the decline of the fossil fuel economy, new reactors must be economically viable and built on-time - however, practical experience demonstrates that nuclear is hugely expensive and very much behind schedule. Nuclear costs and risks mean that plants can only be built with vast state aid (public subsidies), including loan guarantees and long-term power purchase agreements.

Speaker: Mycle Schneider and Amory Lovins

15:30 - 16:00

Non proliferation / IAEA/ Saudis getting the bomb

Speaker: Henry Sokolski, The Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, US

16:30 – 17:00

Operating a very old fleet of nuclear power plants Is the most realistic scenario? If ageing NPP are shutdown after their 40 year life-span (due to technical, safety, and high maintenance costs) - not much of a nuclear share will remain.

Speaker: INRAG member on their new study (http://www.inrag.org)

17:00 – 17:30

Propaganda versus reality of new Generation of reactors (GEN IV)

Speaker: Christoph Pistner, Nuclear Engineering & Facility Safety, Ökologieinstitut Darmstadt

17:30 – 18:00

The Renewable Evolution – the real response to Global Climate Change


Day 2 - 08. October 2019 Workshops and NGO Strategy Day

at GLOBAL 2000 office in Vienna
Neustiftgasse 36
1070 Vienna

Start: 09:00
End: 16:00

Workshops, lecture and strategy meeting

  • First results of study on climate / NPP / water: Will be presented (two case-studies) to receive feedback from participants
  • Workshop on EU nuclear matters (Patricia Lorenz with co-speakers)
  • Workshop on upcoming EURATOM campaigning
  • Report from the inside of the ongoing IAEA Atoms for Climate conference: Klaus Gufler, BOKU University, author of many nuclear-related studies - TBC


The conference & workshop day are organised by the Don’t Nuke the Climate network of anti-nuclear organisations and networks from all over the globe, that work together to keep nuclear out of the climate agreements and the Paris agreement.