Push for More Nuclear Energy Must Come with Stronger Nonproliferation Efforts, says US Senator at COP28 Talks

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The push for more nuclear energy to aid in combating climate change must be accompanied by strengthened protection efforts against the proliferation of fissile nuclear materials, said a bipartisan US senator attending the COP28 discussions in Dubai on Friday, December 8, 2023.

The promotion of nuclear energy has played a significant role in the COP28 negotiations, with little discussion on the protection of uranium and plutonium that can be used in nuclear weapons. On December 2, over 20 countries pledged to double their nuclear power generation capacity by 2050, and US climate envoy John Kerry stated that the world cannot achieve "net zero" emissions without building new reactors.

Senator Edward Markey, a Democrat, stated that there needs to be standards "to ensure that we do not add a climate crisis to the nuclear nonproliferation crisis."

"Every step forward must be accompanied by the strongest and most comprehensive protection efforts, or we will see North Korea, Iran, and Iraq worldwide," Markey told reporters via phone.

North Korea continues to develop nuclear weapons in 2023, avoiding UN sanctions aimed at cutting funding for Pyongyang's nuclear program, according to the UN.

The US claims that Iran is close to making nuclear weapons, but Tehran insists its program is peaceful. Iraq never built a bomb and dismantled its nuclear program after the Gulf War in 1991. The US and eight other countries possess nuclear weapons.

"If we want to prevent localized and intense global warming – nuclear explosions in the world's military centers – we must tighten our control over 'peaceful' nuclear technology that can easily be exchanged to make bombs," said Henry Sokolski, head of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center.

The Senate delegation attending COP28 includes Tom Carper and Ben Cardin from the Democratic Party, as well as Lisa Murkowski from the Republican Party.

This group traveled by plane to discuss legislation supporting the security of small modular nuclear power plants that can be built in facilities called small modular reactors, Carper said. This step is included in the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act, and Carper stated that the group is working to ensure its inclusion in the US House of Representatives' defense policy legislation.

Cardin said parliamentarians are collaborating with many countries interested in nuclear energy "to ensure that we get the best arrangement using US technology and companies, which, in our opinion, is the safest way forward."

Saudi Arabia is actively trying to develop nuclear energy. The de facto leader of the country, Mohammed bin Salman, said that if Iran has nuclear weapons, the kingdom will seek them as well.

SUNU DYANTORO

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