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Antinuclear action in the Copenhagen Conference area

" Don’t nuke the climate!" : Two days before the Copenhagen Climate Conference, the French Network for Nuclear Phaseout displays civil society's refusal of nuclear power in the Bella Center area

05.12.2009 |Sortir du nucléaire Press Release

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Two days before the opening of the Climate Summit, the French Network for Nuclear Phase-Out  hung a huge banner in the Bella Center area in Copenhagen. On this banner, a citizens' crowd holds the words « Don't Nuke the Climate! ». This picture symbolizes the tens of thousands of people across the world opposing some States's attempts to force nuclear power within the future climate agreement as a « solution » to climate change.

Indeed, a growing number of countries, among which Japan, Canada, Russia, India, the African group and France, ask that nuclear power be included in the greenhouse gas emission mitigation mechanisms of the future agreement, currently under negociation . Actually, their support to nuclear power is motivated by direct or indirect industrial interests, or by arguments completely irrelevent to the climate issue, like purported « prestige » or « national independance ».

Those countries' push in favour of nuclear power is clearly in contradiction with the public opinion, which unambiguously rejects this technology. The huge banner aims at making this silenced civil society visible and heard. For each euro invested, increased energy efficiency and certain types of renewable energies can achieve up to 11 times more reductions in greenhouse gas emissions than nuclear power. Yet nuclear technology is an investment blackhole. And as such, it is a hindrance to the rapid and large-scale development of the real solutions for climate change. In Copenhagen, political leaders must reach an ambitious agreement on climate issues, but also clearly reject false solutions. However, France  keeps on promoting nuclear power within the climate negociations, thus sacrificing common interest to the French nuclear industry's interests and profits.

In the wider picture, nuclear power, just like climate change, constitutes a major threat, bearing serious dangers : almost eternal radioactive waste continuously piling up, major accident risks, proliferation of nuclear weapons. Saving the climate goes hand in hand with phasing nuclear power out. Energy efficiency, energy saving and renewable energies shall be developped strongly. Any other choice woud be a major mistake for our planet's future. Citizens across the world are invited to sign the web « Don't Nuke the Climate! » petition, available in 10 languages, on www.dont-nuke-the-climate.org . Almost 50,000 people have already signed this appeal .

Contact :
Charlotte Mijeon
Réseau « Sortir du nucléaire »/ French Network for nuclear phaseout
charlotte.mijeon@sortirdunucleaire.fr
•    + 33 6 75 36 20 20
•    + 45 50 96 92 37 (in Copenhagen)

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