The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organized side events at COP21 to offer an opportunity to learn more about the contribution of nuclear energy to emissions abatement and sustainable development. 

The world is currently not on track to limit the rise in global mean temperatures to 2°C. In order to prevent rising above this critical climate change threshold, the global power sector, which currently emits 40% of global carbon emissions, will need to be virtually decarbonised by 2050. A mix of technologies including nuclear, carbon capture and storage and renewables will be needed to achieve this decarbonisation.

Nuclear energy currently produces 11% of global electricity, the second‑largest source of low‑carbon power after hydro. In its 2°C scenario, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that the share of nuclear energy in global electricity production would need to rise from 11% in 2014 to 17% in 2050; installed capacity would need to rise from 396 GW to 930 GW over the same time frame.

Nuclear power saves each year almost 2 Gt of CO₂ emissions and avoided more than 60 Gt of CO₂ emissions over the 1970-2015 period. Nuclear energy is the only large‑scale source of low-carbon electricity that is both dispatchable and scalable. In addition, its contribution to sustainable economic, social and environmental development goes beyond reducing carbon emissions. The reliable, round‑the‑clock provision of electricity at predictable costs, the absence of local pollutant emissions, solid performance in terms of security of supply and the creation of qualified long‑term employment contributing to regional economic cohesion add to nuclear energy's advantages in a sustainable development perspective. 

NTE-Web@oecd-nea.org