Government ministers, policymakers, other senior officials and experts from around the world will gather at the Second International Conference on Climate Change and the role of Nuclear Power 2023: Atoms4NetZero next week to discuss the importance of nuclear power in the fight against climate change and the transition to net zero.
The conference will be opened by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi of the United Arab Emirates. The first high level session of the Conference will bring together Director General Grossi, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, French Minister for Energy Transition and Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) to have a discussion on ‘Climate Actions to Meet the Objectives of the Paris Agreement’.
The five-day event is open to the media and will be streamed live from the opening at 09:30 CEST on 9 October 2023. It will take place in M-Plenary/BR-B/M1, on the first floor of the M-Building of the Vienna International Centre (VIC).
The conference will bring together Member States, representatives of different energy sectors, international organizations, and other stakeholders to explore solutions for tapping the full potential of nuclear power to meet net zero emissions, consistent with the objectives of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
Historically, nuclear power has avoided around 70 Gt CO2 in the last five decades, avoids more than 1 Gt CO2 every year in the current decade and is still globally the second source of low carbon power behind hydropower. As a large scale, reliable, dispatchable, and concentrated source of energy, it can also help address the on-going disruptions in global energy supply, the subsequent energy crisis and support global sustainable development.
Panel sessions will discuss the role of nuclear energy in the climate emergency, including topics such as incentivizing innovation, establishing an enabling environment, improving economics, and addressing stakeholder engagement, among others.
The conference will also feature seven side events, including one on reimagining coal communities and another on youth engagement.
Press opportunities
The conference is open to the media. The full programme is available here.
During the closing session on 13 October, President of the Conference Ambassador Alkaabi will deliver a Statement summarizing the outcomes of the conference.
A working area for press, which is located on the ground floor of the M-Building, opposite room MOE23, will be open during the whole duration of the conference.
Journalists may also monitor the event on live video streaming on the conference website.
Accreditation
All journalists are asked to request accreditation to the conference by emailing the IAEA Press Office at press@iaea.org by 12:00 CEST on Friday, 6 October.