The Group of Eight industrial nations approved a statement on "Global Energy Security" on Sunday that acknowledges splits over nuclear energy and climate change among the world's top economies.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — The Group of Eight industrial nations approved a statement on "Global Energy Security" on Sunday that acknowledges splits over nuclear energy and climate change among the world's top economies.
"We recognise that G8 members pursue different ways to achieve energy security and the goals of climate protection," the section of the statement on nuclear energy says. The section was unchanged from a document obtained last week by Reuters.
"Those of us who have or are considering plans relating to the use and/or development of safe and secure nuclear energy believe that its development will contribute to global energy security, while simultaneously reducing harmful air pollution and addressing the climate change challenge," it says.
It includes a phrase German officials said was important to Berlin, which has committed to an early phase-out of nuclear energy by the early 2020s: "We are committed to further reduce the risks associated with the safe use of nuclear energy."
Nuclear energy, which is making a comeback worldwide, especially in Asia, produces no greenhouse gases and has been hailed by some environmentalists as a good way of protecting the climate while meeting growing demand for electricity.
Critics, however, say there is no good solution for the storage of dangerous nuclear waste. They also say nuclear power plants are vulnerable to terrorist attacks and result in an increased risk of nuclear weapons proliferation.
The statement also backs plans suggested by Moscow to create international centres in Russia to produce nuclear fuel for countries with atomic power plants and a U.S. plan to create a multilateral nuclear fuel bank. All of these would be under the supervision of the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
"We intend to make additional joint efforts to ensure reliable access to low enriched uranium for power reactor fuel and spent fuel recycling," as part of the group's joint non-proliferation efforts, the text said.
The U.S. and Russian ideas were first conceived as ways of undercutting arguments by countries like Iran which say they need their own national uranium enrichment programmes to guarantee a fuel supply. Enrichment is a highly sensitive process that produces fuel for nuclear power plants or weapons.
SPLIT ON KYOTO PROTOCOL
The section on climate change said the G8 intends "to meet our shared and multiple objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving the global environment, enhancing energy security and cutting air pollution in conjunction with our vigorous efforts to reduce poverty".
But it also highlights the split over the 1997 Kyoto protocol on climate change, saying that "those of us committed to making the Kyoto protocol a success underline the importance we attach to it".
The protocol encouraged richer nations to cut down on emissions of gases blamed for global warming, but the agreement has been hampered by U.S. refusal to sign up to it.
French President Jacques Chirac urged G8 members to apply the protocol in order to protect the planet.
"We cannot talk about energy security while there is no progress on climate change. Mankind is dancing on the edge of a volcano," Chirac said at the St Petersburg meeting of world leaders in the G8 group of nations.
(Additional reporting by Sophie Louet)
Source: Reuters
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