{"id":47008,"date":"2024-03-20T23:59:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T22:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eu-unit\/?p=47008"},"modified":"2024-03-21T11:26:41","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T10:26:41","slug":"activists-to-protest-nuclear-fairy-tales-at-brussels-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eu-unit\/issues\/climate-energy\/47008\/activists-to-protest-nuclear-fairy-tales-at-brussels-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"Activists to protest nuclear fairy tales at Brussels summit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than 600 organisations worldwide sign new anti-nuclear declaration for \u201cSafe, affordable and climate-friendly energy for all\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

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Brussels,\u00a0<\/strong>20 March 2024<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 An international coalition of climate, environment and peace activists will stage a protest demonstration in Brussels on Thursday 21 March, near the \u201cNuclear Energy Summit<\/a>\u201d, which the Prime Minister of Belgium and the International Atomic Energy Agency are co-hosting. The summit brings political and nuclear industry leaders together and aims to attract public finance to advance the goal, announced by a group of countries at COP28 in Dubai, of\u00a0tripling global nuclear capacity<\/a>\u00a0by 2050.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

In the past 30 years, an average of 5 nuclear reactors have been added to global electricity grids each year. According to activist group Don\u2019t Nuke the Climate<\/a>, tripling nuclear capacity by 2050 would require countries to connect between 24 and 28 new reactors to the grid each year for the next 26 years, a completely unrealistic goal. <\/p>\n\n

The protest intends to expose this goal as nothing more than a fantasy, and will feature representatives from groups like Greenpeace and the European Environmental Bureau, as well as Don\u2019t Nuke the Climate, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and many more. <\/p>\n\n

Activists in costumes will stand near the Atomium in Brussels, holding a banner reading \u201cNUCLEAR FAIRY TALES = CLIMATE CRISIS\u201d in front of an inflatable fairy tale castle. Activists will take to the podium to deliver short speeches on the many ways in which nuclear power has consistently failed to live up to the hype of its industry and political backers.<\/p>\n\n

***\u00a0High quality photo and video of the protest will be available for media to download here<\/a>\u00a0***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Lorelei Limousin, senior campaigner at Greenpeace EU, <\/strong>said: \u201cIt\u2019s impossible to take politicians seriously when they talk about tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. Maybe in children\u2019s stories there\u2019s a creature that can transform from a donkey into a unicorn, but pretending that the nuclear industry can pull this off will only delay the whole energy transition. Why waste so much time and money on these nuclear fairy tales when governments can achieve their climate and energy goals with energy savings and renewable energy?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Marc Alexander, activist with Don\u2019t Nuke the Climate, <\/strong>said: \u201cNuclear power is the opposite of social and climate justice. Promising a reactor at some point in the coming decades does nothing to bring emissions down this decade, and it does nothing to help people struggling with energy poverty. The threats of nuclear war and nuclear disaster are still just as intolerable as they have always been. It\u2019s time to transform this industry, and to create millions of good jobs building the safe and climate-regenerative renewable energy system that the planet needs and that people, including nuclear workers, deserve. The future is renewable, not radioactive!\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n

Cosimo Tansini, Policy Officer for Renewables from the European Environmental Bureau, <\/strong>said:“Renewables are already cheaper than nuclear, and the gap will continue to grow in the coming years. The attendees of this summit are advocating for investments in new nuclear and unnecessary lifetime extensions. This risks diverting public money and attention away from the real challenges to climate neutrality: halving energy demand, tripling renewable energy capacity, and investing in grids and flexibility.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Global civil society speak out against nuclear fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

This week, more than 600 organisations worldwide have made a\u00a0joint declaration<\/a>, calling on governments not to waste time and money on nuclear fairy tales and to provide safe renewable energy instead. The organisations come from at least 56 countries and territories and include climate and environment organisations, frontline communities, networks of peace activists, as well as youth groups, churches and other civil society representatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Practical information<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

Location of the demonstration: Boulevard du Centenaire, Brussels 1020 (between Expo and Atomium) <\/p>\n\n

Time: 08:00-11:00, 21 March 2024<\/p>\n\n

Spokespeople will be available at the protest for journalists to interview in English, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Czech, Slovak, Italian.<\/p>\n\n

Speeches will be delivered at the protest by activists from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Russia (TBC), South Korea, UK, and USA. Other statements will be read aloud on behalf of movement allies from Ukraine, First Nations and indigenous frontline communities.<\/p>\n\n

Useful resources <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

COP28 and the nuclear energy numbers racket<\/a> – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists<\/p>\n\n

What is the role of nuclear energy in achieving climate targets in global scenarios?<\/a> – German Environment Agency <\/p>\n\n

Nuclear myth busting<\/a> – Don\u2019t Nuke the Climate<\/p>\n\n

Myth buster: Nuclear energy is a dangerous distraction<\/a> – Climate Action Network Europe<\/p>\n\n

The cost of new nuclear: the unbearable lightness of EDF<\/a>\u00a0(in French, with summary in English) – Greenpeace France<\/p>\n\n

Contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Lorelei Limousin, Greenpeace EU senior campaigner<\/strong>: +32 (0)477 79 04 15, lorelei.limousin@greenpeace.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Marc Alexander, Don\u2019t Nuke the Climate activist<\/strong>: +32 (0)474 87 89 98, marlex@skynet.be<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Cosimo Tansini, European Environmental Bureau policy officer<\/strong>: +32 (0)2 289 13 03; cosimo.tansini@eeb.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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