09/29/2019, 20:50
Dear Supporters,
If you haven’t heard the news – last week we had a win for science-based climate policy-making. It was announced on Wednesday night that EU ministers decided not to restrict nuclear energy for inclusion on the sustainable finance taxonomy.Here's a link to the news story: www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/council-maintains-nuclear-as-eligible-for-green-finance/
Predictably, and yet still shockingly, Germany, Austria and Luxembourg voted against it. History will judge them, and those NGOs, including WWF, that are campaigning, purely on ideological grounds, to shut down Europe's largest source of clean energy during the height of our climate emergency.
From the Energy for Humanity team, our partners at THINK ATOM, and myself, we would like to thank you all for your support in arguing that Europe's largest source of low carbon power should be included in taxonomy. By signing and sharing this petition you are helping to ensure that the environmental and humanitarian benefits of nuclear power are represented and heard.
To date, we have written and submitted our ‘Assessment of Nuclear Sustainability’ report, started a petition (which reached 50 % of our 5000 strong target after only 16 days!), and gathered more than 1,100 supportive comments. Our goal is to submit this petition to the EU Commission to support the case for why their decision to include nuclear is essential to meet our climate and energy goals.
However, for the petition to be officially submitted we need 5,000 signatures. We know that with your help we can get even more people engaged… But how?
We need you and your powerful voices to speak up: in person, online, on social media. Please help ensure nuclear energy is included in the green agenda once and for all.Talk to your family around the dinner table, engage with your colleagues at the office water fountain, start-up a conversation about nuclear energy at the pub… We all know that nuclear energy needs to be a part of those conversations if climate change is ever going to be seriously addressed.
Next steps: The inclusion of nuclear energy as a source of low carbon and sustainable generation must still be confirmed by the European Commission and the Parliament.
The outcome of the negotiations is very uncertain, and the real devil will be in the implementation phase. Therefore, we need to keep the pressure up. You can help.
1. We need to strengthen the Council and the Member States (who agree with us) on the issue of how nuclear power is sustainable. Use our Sustainable Nuclear report, and other materials on the Energy for Humanity website, to draft your own correspondence making the case for nuclear to be included to policy makers, political representatives and the media.
2. Brief your local European MEPs.
3. Write to the new Technical Expert Group to offer expert input in support of the Council and Parliament's negotiations.
4. Share our petition through your networks to help us reach the goal of 5,000 signatures.
Peace and love for all,
Kirsty x
Please do read and share the links to our sustainability report (energyforhumanity.org/resources/reports-en/sustainable-nuclear-assessment-sustainability-nuclear-power-eu-taxonomy-consultation-2019/) and the Taxonomy report (ec.europa.eu/info/files/190618-sustainable-finance-teg-report-taxonomy_en) and see for yourself what you think.
Ps. Full disclosure: EDF Energy UK sponsored the work required to do the research and writing. We did it only on the condition that we have full editorial control on the result.
