Report on the YG Activities for the cop Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reported by the European Nuclear Society Young Generation Network (ENSYGN) and the North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN) The Hague, Netherlands 13-24 November 2000 UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 2
Contents > Introduction 1. 4 > Organization 2. 6 > The Official Negotiations 3. 8 > Nuclear Activities at COP6 4 14 > Conclusions 5 25 The UNFCCC COP6 Conference Centre in The Hague. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 3
Introduction Climate change and long term energy strategies are global common concerns, and decisions taken now will have an important impact on the quality of life of future generations. COP6 was considered the deadline for Parties to reach consensus on how to implement the famous Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol commits industrialized countries to individual, legally-binding targets to limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, adding up to a total cut of 5% from 1990 levels in the period 2008-2012. In addition to implementing national policies and measures at home, the protocol also establishes three "flexible" mechanisms designed to help industrialized countries to reduce the costs of meeting their emissions targets by achieving or acquiring reductions more cheaply in other countries. These mechanisms, whose implementation details were a major topic of discussion during COP6, are emissions trading (ET), joint implementation (JI) and clean development mechanism (CDM) For the Protocol to enter into force, it must be ratified by 55 countries, including developed countries accounting for 55% of the 1990 greenhouse gas emissions. Ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, however, implies a very serious and probably costly commitment, since it is legally binding and gives specific deadlines and reduction amounts. To date, the Kyoto Protocol has been signed by 84 countries, but ratified only by 24. None of the industrialized countries has yet ratified it, because they are awaiting the outcome of the negotiations that will determine the operational details of the implementation of the Protocol. Since electricity production is one of the major sources of CO 2 (next to transportation and domestic use), nuclear power could play an important role when it comes to meet national policies and measures to mitigate climate change, and also within the flexible mechanisms. Unfortunately, nuclear energy has become a hot issue in the climate change negotiations because a number of countries and many green NGOs have argued strongly to explicitly exclude nuclear power from the list of technologies eligible to obtain emission reduction credits in the flexible mechanisms. This would put new nuclear projects at an economic and political Flags wit the COP6 theme 'Work it out' were all over the city in The Hague. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 4
disadvantage versus other technologies, and the environmental benefits of nuclear power would not be internalized in the form of certified emission credits. But before a more technical discussion on the function of nuclear is possible, a new kind of communication with the public, the policy makers and the press is indispensable. A communication where we position ourselves more 'down to earth' - on the same level as those with the concerns and the prejudices. Taken into account the lessons learned in Kyoto, Buenos Aires and Bonn, it seems clear that the Young Generation in Nuclear can play a very important role communicating nuclear issues in general. We want to do it 'in style': with a more proactive attitude and adding a little bit of pop-art, freshness and philosophy to spice up our scientific background. But we do not have the intention to start from scratch: It is the synergy of younger and older generations' ideas, beliefs and experiences together that will make the difference. With these goals in mind, the YG joined the International Nuclear Forum at COP6, to take part in the debate, and insist once again that nuclear is "part of the solution". COP6 was, for many, "the deal that almost was" - the occasion where agreement on a number of crunch issues appeared so close, yet not close enough. The Parties failed to reach an agreement at COP6. As for nuclear, in the latest version of the text, nuclear power was still explicitly excluded, and the nuclear knights (USA & Canada) seemed to be willing to use it as a bargaining chip with other issues. However, the failure of the negotiations has given the nuclear community another opportunity to lobby its position and try to ensure that no technologies are excluded from the Kyoto Protocol. But this lobbying must be done not only during the international negotiations, but also at home. The nuclear community needs to intensify its lobbying and educational efforts, and show the public, the media and the policy makers that nuclear power is environmentally sound, safe, economical and sustainable, and as such, it deserves to be part of a balanced energy mix. Representatives of the nuclear community in The Hague. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 5
Organization > The Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from November 13-25, 2000. Over 7,000 participants from 182 governments, 443 media outlets and 323 intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations were in attendance. > Just as at UNFCCC COP3 (Kyoto, 97), COP4 (Buenos Aires, 98) and COP5 (Bonn, 99) the nuclear option was represented at COP6 by the International Nuclear Forum (registered as a Non Governmental Organization, a so-called observer group), consisting of 7 nuclear organizations from all over the world: the European Nuclear Society (ENS), FORATOM, the Uranium Institute (UI), the Japanese Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA). Although these organizations work very closely together and act as one forum, it was decided that the Young Generation (ENSYGN, NA-YGN and the Japanese YGN) should act more independently and should be more visible as a separate group. > The nuclear industry NGO's had around 80 registered participants, which included 42 from the Young Generation, although not all of them were present at the same time. The International Nuclear Forum had a stand in a central location opposite of the main entrance of the plenary room, which had a lot of visibility. > The INF statements and background documents can be found at www.foratom.org and www.climatechange.org > Information about COP6 and related activities can be found at the official UNFCCC site www.unfccc.de The COP6 plenary hall during a session. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 6
> YG groups - COP6 daily life Just as at previous COP's, three 'Young Nuclear Climate Teams' were formed (Blue, Green and Red), with distinct jobs throughout the conference. The three groups were coordinated by Sama Bilbao y León and Gaston Meskens. > Briefly: Blue Green Red followed the UN meetings and briefed to the INF monitored NGO side bar activities and briefed to the INF organized the YG events responsible for communication activities together with the INF prepared summaries about news to send back to the home organizations prepared publications & statements > In Detail: > The Blue group was responsible for attending the official sessions of the COP, including the meetings for both the Subsidiary Bodies as well as the Plenary sessions. The Blue group tried to be in touch with their government delegations to provide information to the INF on the positions of the different countries and the current status of the negotiations. A representative from the Blue Group was responsible for reporting to the INF at the daily meeting. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin, the unofficial newspaper of the convention, was considered the best summary of the official sessions. > The Green group was responsible for on-the-spot organization of YG activities and events. During the conference, the Green group was also responsible for monitoring the activities from the other NGOs and IGOs. This included attending all relevant side-bar events and asking questions (as intelligent and tricky as possible - but in style!) to ensure that the role of nuclear was appropriately mentioned in these workshops. The green group was also responsible for gathering intelligence YG members working in the COP6 computer centre. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 7
about the Climate Action Network (Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, World Wide Fund, etc) anti-nuclear activities. A representative from the Green Group was responsible for reporting to the INF at the daily meeting. > The Red group was in charge of communications. They also made sure that there were always someone manning the INF/YGN exhibit stand. The persons at the stand responded to requests for information or interviews from the delegates, NGOs and the media. They also ensured that the position papers and all other documentation were always available at the exhibit. The members of the Red group were responsible for collecting on a daily basis relevant press clippings about COP6, and the role of nuclear. The Red group wrote daily summaries on COP6 events, which were sent back to the home organizations to keep our companies informed about our activities and the most recent developments at COP6. As it is always important to have some continuity in who is talking to the press, two YG persons (Sama Bilbao for NA-YGN & Gaston Meskens for ENSYGN) were nominated as spokespeople for the conference. Daily YG working meeting at 8:00 AM. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 8
COP6 The Official Negotiations French President Chirac called on the US to take the lead in the fight against global warming, and accused them of polluting six times more than France. He did not mention nuclear energy as the main reason for that. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 9
> Summary Was COP6 a success or a failure? Well, that depends! We personally think the answer depends on who you are or what industry/sector you represent. Most delegates at COP6 left the conference on Saturday evening with a sense of disappointment. COP6 was for most the deal that almost was, the occasion where agreement on a number of crunch issues appeared so close, yet not close enough. Many observers measured success or failure of COP6 in many different ways. Some felt that the conference failed because it did not reach a consensus on a number of key political issues and it certainly failed to make any significant progress on the text, which was to be completed by COP6. For the nuclear industry, there is still hope because no agreement is better than exclusion. The industry received a lot of attention, that was more negative than positive, but fortunately the nuclear option is still open for discussion. From the negotiations, it was obvious that the US and Canada want sinks and nuclear in the CDM, but the EU are strongly opposed to this position. The nuclear industry needs to be aware that the Umbrella group, the nuclear knights, may sacrifice nuclear for sinks to further the negotiations. However, the failure of COP6 has given the nuclear industry a second change to lobby their position and ensure that no technologies are excluded. Though progress was made on many key issues, negotiators from the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) could not come to a final agreement. They were unable to completely resolve differences over the most contentious issues, such as limits on the use of domestic sinks to meet national emissions reduction obligations. Therefore, the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ended in the late afternoon on November 25, 2000 with no agreement on the proposed rules for implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. Chairman Jan Pronk announced that Parties had agreed to suspend rather than adjourn the negotiations and asked the talks to continue before the COP 7 meeting in Marrakech, Morocco in October 2001. It is anticipated that the negotiations will recommence in May 2001, concurrent with the scheduled technical meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies in Bonn, Germany. Exhausted delegates slept all over the conference building in between the marathon talks during the last days and nights of COP6. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 10
> COP 6 - Background COP6 was considered the deadline for Parties to reach consensus on the issues noted in the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, which resulted from COP4 in 1998, including the rules, modalities and guidelines for the Kyoto Mechanisms. In the first week, delegates meet in informal contact groups as mandated by the UNFCCC subsidiary bodies. The mandate of the first week was to reduce the differences on text for decisions on a range of issues. Unfortunately, much of the text transmitted by the subsidiary bodies to the COP lacked complete agreement by delegates and differences on many crucial issues remained. Ministers arrived for the second week to commence high level negotiations on key political issues. Since most of the differences in the political and technical issues were not resolved in the first week, more work had to be done in the second week. As a result, Ministers ran out of negotiating time and no agreement was reached. > The Pronk Paper During the second week, when the Ministers had arrived, Chairman Pronk formed four groups to forward the process by focusing on the specific key issues of the negotiations. Thus, the key political issues were grouped into four clusters or boxes as follows: a) capacity building, technology transfer, adverse effects and guidance to the Global Environment Facility (GEF); b) mechanisms; c) LULUCF; and d) compliance, policies and measures, and accounting, reporting and review under Articles 5 (methodological issues), 7 (communication of information) and 8 (review of information). From the reports of the four groups, Mr. Pronk issued the Pronk Paper which was aimed at breaking an impasse between the US and the EU. The paper attempted to carve out middle ground in areas where the two could not come to terms. In his paper, Chairman Pronk also addressed the developing country issues, but he underestimated the inflexibility of the Europeans. The Pronk Paper has no official status and does not replace the negotiating texts. The Paper is just a summary of all the key issues. If agreement is reached in principle The buzz of the day on Friday November 24; the conference was finaly extended with one day, without effect. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 11
with the Pronk Paper, then the official texts will be modified to reflect the agreement and decisions adopted. > Contentious Nuclear Text During the negotiations, nuclear received attention in three separate areas: Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Joint Implementation (JI) and Article 3.14. Early in the talks, the EU supported a positive list of preferred projects for the CDM that would facilitate the approval process with a focus on small renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. The US backed with Canada emphasized the need to ensure that developers of larger infrastructure projects gain certainty about approval processes. With regard to project eligibility, the US and Canada entered negotiations supporting the inclusion of nuclear projects in the CDM, which was strongly opposed by the EU. However, the US softened their position early in the talks, sending the signal that it would be willing to give up inclusion of nuclear projects in the CDM in exchange for concessions from other Parties. According to the Pronk paper, there is no positive list for CDM projects. Parties recognize that it is up to each Party s discretion to judge whether a project activity is in line with its national strategy on sustainable development. When it comes to nuclear, the paper excludes nuclear projects from the CDM, but the wording is very vague and open to interpretation: "Annex 1 Parties will declare that they will refrain from using nuclear projects for generating certified emission reductions under the CDM". The Pronk Paper states that JI projects should not follow the same rules of procedure as proposed for CDM projects. Assuming the final decision following COP6 part II reflects this view, then there should be no barrier for the eligibility of nuclear technology projects for JI. We need to keep in mind, though, that the pattern of the negotiations to date has been the exclusion of nuclear from all possible credits. Thus, there is a strong possibility that delegates from various Countries may insist on excluding nuclear technologies. In addition, some green groups are exerting considerable pressure on the negotiators to exclude nuclear. One of the many examples of protest against nuclear at COP6. During the conference, more and more, the general press questioned the usefulness of over-simplified and too emotional messages. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 12
Article 3.14, which refers to impact of response measures, also contains draft bracketed text that excludes nuclear, such as "discouraging the use of environmentally unsafe and unsound technologies, in particular nuclear energy, by reflecting their huge externalities, and ensuring that existing nuclear energy plants are constantly monitored to guarantee optimal safety". This text was modified during COP6 to make reference to less greenhouse gas emitting, environmentally sound energy sources. This new language was negotiated by the Canadian delegation to prevent a definitive barrier to nuclear technology. > What s Next? At COP6 there was a feeling that the Ministers of the EU and the Umbrella Group (UG) were close to a deal. Differences remained on three issues supplementarity, sinks and compliance. Headway was made on both compliance and supplementarity, but sinks is what sunk the deal. Therefore, the EU and the UG resumed their talks in Ottawa on Dec 5-7, 2000. Much to their dismay, the two groups were further in their positions than they had anticipated. This meeting helped to clarify the position of each group but the gap was wider than was originally thought. In Europe, British Prime Minister Blair met with US President Clinton on the 13th of December to talk about climate change among other things. The Swedish Minister Larsson met with European colleagues for a whole week to talk about the Swedish EU-Presidency along with climate change. Government comments on the Pronk Paper were due to be submitted to the UNFCCC by January 15th, 2001. The Fourteenth Session of the Subsidiary Bodies of the UNFCCC will take place from 21 May 1 June 2001, in Bonn, Germany. This meeting may also serve as the resumed COP6 part II. Since the Ministers have already failed once to meet the expectations of the outside world, they will be under significant pressure to ensure success in the second round. Therefore, it is anticipated that COP6 part II will pass decisions on the key political issues. COP7 is scheduled to take place from 29 October 9 November 2001, in Marrakech, Morocco. This flyer, with a picture taken on the moment Frank Loy, the chief US negotiator, got a pie thrown in his face, was distributed anonymously over the conference. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 13
Nuclear Activities at COP6 UNFCCC Executive Secretary Cutajar and Conference Chairman Pronk at a COP6 press briefing. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 14
> The YGN statement at COP6 The International Young Generation in Nuclear prepared a position statement that summarized our message at COP6. NUCLEAR ENERGY: A SUBSTANTIAL PRESENT AND A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE As young people in nuclear, we share the concerns about minimizing human impact on the planet, and preserving natural resources for future generations. We believe that a global energy mix, including nuclear, can contribute to sustainable development. Nuclear energy is one of the essential components of a sensible future energy strategy. The implementation of the Kyoto Protocol should not limit energy choices for the future by excluding any technology from the flexible mechanisms. All technologies should be subject to the same set of objective criteria, and all countries should have the right to choose the technologies that are best suited to their particular needs. We see nuclear energy as the most environmentally sound large-scale option for new energy investment. Nuclear energy minimizes environmental impact by using a small land area and a small amount of fuel to produce a large energy output. Furthermore, it accomplishes this without releasing any greenhouse gas emissions. The by-products of nuclear energy are the most manageable of energy waste products, being contained, retrievable, and reusable. Nuclear energy is part of the solution. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 15
> ENS/YGN Side bar event "Nuclear and the CDM" Our first side bar event was held on Thursday 16th, at the ClimateTech2000 Pavilion. Despite the cold weather, a number of people made the 10 minutes walk from the Congress Center. The side bar event was well attended and well received, gathering around 30 participants, including official delegates (US, Egypt, Peru, Switzerland), observers and journalists. > > > > Gaston Meskens (SCKACEN/ ENS-YGN) welcomed the audience, and Sama Bilbao y León (University of Wisconsin/NA-YGN) introduced the position statement of the International Young Generation in Nuclear. Next, Davinder Valeri (AECL/NA- YGN) reviewed the characteristics that a CDM project should have, and illustrated them with the success story of the Korean nuclear power program, giving examples of capacity building and technology transfer. With this presentation she showed how nuclear energy is a feasible technology for the Flexible Mechanism. Since the biggest objection against the sustainability of nuclear energy is the issue of nuclear waste, Mathias Karlsson and Johan Albinsson (SKB/ENSYGN) then examined this issue with an overview of the Swedish waste management program. Finally, Erik Laes (University of Louvain/SCKACEN/ENSYGN) wrapped up the event by analyzing the philosophical implications of nuclear waste and sustainability. After the presentations, a lively discussion went on with a broad participation from the audience. Some of the issues were Chernobyl, suitability of certain bedrock for nuclear waste storage, nuclear and democracy, and public information. A delegate from Egypt interrupted the discussion at one point to make a statement in favor of nuclear energy, saying nuclear is 'the most promising solution that we have to solve the energy and environment issues in the future'. The Earth Times wrote a front-page article entitled 'Nuclear Power Born Again at Hague' on this event. Read it at : http://www.earthtimes.org/nov/climatechangenuclearnov17_00.htm Florence Avezou in the papers on the occasion of the First Side Bar event. The presentation on the Swedish waste program during the first YG Side Bar event. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 16
> ANS/YGN Side bar event "Nuclear's Role in Adaptation" This second side bar event took place on Saturday 18th. Dr. Sama Bilbao y León (University of Wisconsin/NA-YGN) described the role that nuclear science and technology can have in helping humans and ecosystems to adapt to the consequences of climate change, and mitigate the adverse effects (food & water security, health and environmental protection, medical applications, sustainable development). The session had an audience of more than 70 people, many of them being part of the 255 United States college students sponsored by Greenpeace to attend the conference. It is worth noting here that Greenpeace also provided the students with sheets of paper including the questions that they needed to ask at the different side bar events. Representatives from the Swedish, Egyptian and Austrian delegations were also in attendance. After the presentation, a panel formed by Eric Loewen (INEEL/ANS), Don Schutz (Geonuclear/ANS), Gaston Meskens and Sama Bilbao y León answered the questions raised by the audience. None of the questions related to the subject of adaptation, but focused on nuclear energy, particularly waste and safety issues. The questions concluded with a discussion on the role of nuclear in the CDM. The audience was receptive and polite, and some of the Greenpeace participants stayed at the end of the event, to ask some additional questions and to thank the speakers. The second Side Bar event : a 'full house' of young students, sent by Greenpeace (with prepared questions ). UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 17
> Tour to the Borssele Clean Energy Generation Site On Friday 17th the International YGN organized a visit to the Borssele site, which includes the only nuclear power plant in the Netherlands as well as a wind farm. Twenty people from several countries joined the tour (Japan, Finland, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Canada, Russia, Peru, US, and the Netherlands), including 3 journalists. The tour of the Nuclear Plant, which included areas of the plant normally not available for visits, was very educational. During the tour, participants asked several questions related to waste management, O&M costs of the different power plants and the current status of nuclear energy in the Netherlands. Two people (including a member of Greenpeace) opted not to go in to the spent fuel building, stating they were afraid of the harm the radiation might cause to their health. The wind farm tour illustrated the concept of energy density (a lot of wind turbines are needed to match the capacity of the nuclear plant) and showed everyone that there is a synergy between renewable and base load electricity producers. Also during the trip, an interview was conducted with a journalist from 'Het parool', a Dutch daily quality newspaper. Many of the tour participants visited the INF stand the following day to congratulate the YGN on the high quality and informational value of the tour. The wind farm and the nuclear power plant at the Borssele Energy Site. The visitors during one of the presentations given at the Borssele Nuclear Power Plant. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 18
> Balloon Event The International Young Generation in Nuclear originally obtained permission from the UN Secretariat and the city of The Hague to build an arch with 900 balloons in front of the ClimateTech2000 Pavilion, which was located within a 10 minute walk from the Congress Center. The balloons represented 1,800 million tons of CO2 emissions avoided in 1999 worldwide by the use of nuclear energy. Due to the windy weather, representatives of the Young Generation decided that it was unsafe to build the arch at the assigned location and suggested a number of alternatives to Ms. Barbara Black (NGO Liaison with UN Secretariat). All those alternatives were rejected by Ms. Black, who suggested instead building the arch inside Staten Hall, in a high visibility area, extending over the media center and the government delegate offices. According to this suggestion, the YGN presented a written proposal describing the event, including maps and sketches detailing the specific location where the balloons where going to be erected and photos of the arch built at COP5. The YGN obtained all the required permits from UN Secretariat, UN Security and Fire Security and the arch was built during the late hours of Monday the 20th in a wonderful exercise of team effort by many of the young generation delegates, and some INF representatives. Our group was even praised by the Security officers supervising the event with the words "If all the NGOs would meet all the regulations and take care of all the details the way you do, our job would be a lot easier". The result of our efforts was a beautiful arch of balloons with a banner that read "Nuclear: Part of the Solution. 1800 million tons of CO2 avoided in 1999". Unfortunately, at some point during the early hours of Tuesday morning, the arch was removed from its original location and tucked into a corner of Staten Hall. The banner disappeared during the move. When YGN representatives inquired about the causes of this relocation, UN Secretariat was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation, and just insisted that we "should not make a big fuss about it". On Tuesday 21st, the International YGN held a press conference to promote the balloon arch constructed Monday evening. The YGN conducted themselves YG members preparing the arch outside of the conference centre. The article in the 'Earth Times' of Wednesday 22 November. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 19
graciously, explaining the intent of the balloon arch and apologizing that it was not available. Only recently, after COP6 was over, we learned from UN Secretariat that the arch was too formidable and dominant, and it had been removed to keep all the voices at COP6 in the necessary proportion. Ironically, on Saturday 18th, the Climate Action Network, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, World Wide Fund, and other "green" NGOs had organized, with UN Secretariat endorsement, a large event to build a sandbag dike 2 meters high and 360 meters long, stretching around the front of the Congress center. The event attracted a reported 5,000 people to help make sandbags and pile them up in the dike. The 255 college students brought by Greenpeace from USA and accredited as observers of the COP6 negotiations participated in this event too. > INF Stand activities Members of the YG Red group manned the INF stand at all times, and that gave them the opportunity to answer questions from representatives from various delegations, non-governmental organizations and the media. Traffic volume at the booth was high, and a considerable amount of literature was distributed on the merits of nuclear power in the climate change dialogue. Delivery of this information by young members of the industry was well received, as delegates seemed comfortable asking questions to young people. The NA-YGN postcards and the ENS-YGN fans were very successful items at the INF stand. In addition, the NA-YGN stress balls with our ever present message "Nuclear, part of the solution" and the NEI light bulbs became very popular items during COP6. > YG contacts with the media The booth also acted as a backdrop for many media interviews by both YGN members and other more senior representatives of the nuclear lobby. Interviews The balloon arch in the empty press centre, before it was removed later that night, and a piece of the pressure group dike, causing major traffic problems in the streets around the conference centre. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 20
were conducted with a number of international print, television and radio media, in French, German, English and Spanish. The resulting reports tended to be neutral to favorable toward the pro-nuclear position. Many reports commented on the presence of young people advocating nuclear power as a part of the climate change solution. > YG daily reports In addition, the Red group compiled a YG report daily. Throughout the day, the group made contact with the Blue and Green teams to get summaries of daily events and activities. This information was then compiled into a highlight sheet of the negotiations and external activities. The group also researched commentary from the media on the negotiations, drawing attention to any coverage that concerned nuclear power. The daily report was circulated to about 80 people in the nuclear industry worldwide. > A photo gallery with impressions of COP6 can be found at http://www.na-ygn.org/climatechange/cop6/photos_all.html > Reports on COP3 (1997; Kyoto) and COP4 (1998, Buenos Aires), COP5 (1999, Bonn) by the YG can be found at www.euronuclear.org and www.na-ygn.org The stand of the International Nuclear Forum. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 21
> Other International Nuclear Forum activities > International Nuclear Forum Reception The INF held a reception at he prestigious Hotel Intercontinental, which attracted a significant number of delegates, particularly considering that it was held at a site away from the Congress Center. Government representatives from the US, Japan, India, Slovenia and Vietnam were in attendance. A short address was made by Alain Genel of EDF on behalf of François Roussely, Chair and CEO of EDF. It is worth noting that a few antinuclear protestors demonstrated in front of the hotel, and tried to break into the event. > The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) Reception On Wednesday the 22nd, JAIF held a side bar event in the evening entitled Nuclear: Pollution or Solution?. There were two presentations, one by JAIF and the other by Maureen Koetz from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). The event was well attended by delegates, observer groups and a few media. > INF/YGN Dinner On Wednesday night, after the JAIF reception, the INF invited all the members of the International Young Generation in Nuclear to a delicious Japanese dinner to thank them for their very hard work prior and during COP6. COP participants entering the spent fuel building during the Borssele visit. A Greenpeace member opted not to go in, because he was afraid of the harm the radiation might cause to his health. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 22
Conclusions The evolution of the view on nuclear through the UNFCCC process The Dutch queen Béatrix and other officials, leaving the conference centre after the high level segment on Monday of the second week. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 23
> The impact of the nuclear presence at the climate change negotiations and the impact of the YG presence in particular, had in COP6 a turning point. The surprise effect of COP3 was gone, the periods of curiosity and 'sympathy' (COP4) or neglect (COP5) have passed now, and the green groups see that our attendance has an effect and they have started to take us seriously. Unfortunately, at COP6 this resulted in very defensive and even aggressive positions by some green groups and individuals. The YG kept the open and polite style we have always used in public and personal discussions. We - from our side - wanted to show the necessary empathy needed for constructive talks. > For the nuclear option, there is still hope because no agreement is better than exclusion. The nuclear industry received a lot of attention at COP6; unfortunately not always in a positive way. We seem to be stealing the limelight from the coal and oil industries, which are not getting the attention they deserve at the climate change meetings. However, COP6 was very different from the previous climate change conferences; There has never been a larger gap between the perception about nuclear in the 'buzz in the corridors' (based on actual positive evolutions in some countries), and the references in the official talks. This also means that the negotiations are becoming more and more complicated and that a lot of diplomacy is necessary. Given the sensitiveness of the topic, the nuclear representatives decided to keep low profile at COP6. > Given the sensitiveness of the topic in general, and the nervousness with regard to nuclear issues at COP6, we can say that the YG did useful work at COP6. We mastered the job of being de-briefed by our home country delegations and communicated, where possible, our visions on nuclear. We talked with a large number of delegates and media and explained the important role that nuclear science and technology can play in helping solve the problem of climate change. We tried to establish a constructive and proactive dialogue with the green organizations, and we were successful in many occasions. > What is the fate of nuclear in the climate change negotiations? What can the international nuclear community do to make sure that the nuclear option is kept open? There is a strong possibility that nuclear may be explicitly excluded from the 25 November, Saturday morning : COP6 participants, watching Minister Pronk, the President of COP6, on the moment that he announced in the final plenary session that they failed to come to a COP6 agreement. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 24
Kyoto mechanisms at COP6 part II. COP6 clearly showed this trend for the industry. In the final round of talks, it was evident that the US and Canada, the biggest defenders of the nuclear option, were willing to forsake nuclear in exchange for other concessions. However, the failure of the negotiations has given the nuclear community another opportunity to defend its position and try to ensure that no technologies are excluded from the Kyoto Protocol.. > Communicating on nuclear must be done not only during the international negotiations, but also at home. The nuclear community needs to show its open attitude and prove the public, the media and the policy makers that nuclear energy is an environmentally sound, safe and economical option, and as such, it deserves to be part of a balanced energy mix. Next to that, it should intensify the educational efforts inside its own industry, bringing together people from different disciplines (philosophy, ethics, social sciences,..), in order to develop a consensus view on sustainable development, and the role of nuclear in it, as a basis for further policy making. The Dutch Prime Minister Jan Pronk, surrounded by WWF activists, security and polar bears, right after the High Level opening session of the second week. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 25
> Dear Reader No matter what your professional background is, we hope we managed to convince you that the climate is changing We mean the climate in which the talks about and around nuclear take place. While in some European countries, decisions against a further development of nuclear seem to be taking place, recent events such as the steep increase of gas prices and the severe energy crisis in California have made some people turn and look back at nuclear power in a less emotional way. We stay optimistic for the future because we believe that, thanks in part to our efforts, the handcuffs that currently restrain the potential of nuclear energy will be removed. > Continuing with the experience we currently have, it is a specific challenge for the Young Generation to ensure that nuclear power reaches a position of equality with The 'Swedish Army', undermining our attempts to convince COP participants that our activities have nothing other energy sources; A very well deserved position, especially in view of the to do with military applications. global debate on protecting our climate and conserving natural resources. Our work started in Kyoto and was pursued even more intensively during COP4 in Buenos Aires, COP5 in Bonn and COP6 in The Hague. But we can only reach this goal if there is a strong synergy between the generations a synergy in which know-how and experience are combined with energy, fresh ideas and openness. Only then we will be able to pursue new paths together and motivate today's young people - and only then we will be able to reshape the image of a high-tech industry full of promise for the future. 25 January 2001, On behalf of the ENSYGN and the NA-YGN Sama Bilbao y León Ghislaine McLeod Gaston Meskens Davinder Valeri Two YG members waiting until the climate is changing, unfortunately unaware of the dangers of sea lever rise. UNFCCC : The YG at COP6 26