Scientists, writers and top academics sign an open letter to support nuclear in the fight against climate change

OTTAWA, November 5, 2018 / CNW / – A distinguished group of Canadian and international personalities, both men and women, today published the text of an open letter to Canadians that they will publish later this week at the. support for urgent measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including the need for next-generation nuclear power. the technology to be part of the mix.

"Despite a vocal but diminishing" anti-nuclear "contingent stuck in the political battles of the last century," said David Schumacher, signatory of the letter and organizer of the initiative, "these innovative efforts in the field of nuclear energy deserve the support of government, industry and all Canadians Without nuclear energy, it will be impossible to fight climate change, the success of these efforts ".

Emmy Award-winning Canadian filmmaker Schumacher has released a documentary called "The New Fire", which advocates for next-generation nuclear energy to fight change. climate.

The open letter is signed by 25 influential figures, including prominent Canadians, Frank McKenna, former Canadian Ambbadador to the United States and former Prime Minister of New Brunswick; Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University; Madeleine Redfern, Mayor of Iqaluit; Barry Blitt, illustrator / draftsman at New Yorker Magazine; Andrew Rowe, Director of the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems at University of Victoria; Ross Koningstein, who leads the research on climate and energy at Google, and Dr. Mark Boyce, Professor of Ecology at University of Alberta.

The letter is also signed by a prominent environmentalist and climate change activist, James Hansen; Kerry A. Emanuel, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the Mbadachusetts Institute of Technology; Staffan Qvist and Joshua S. Goldstein, co-authors of A bright future; Ken Caldeira from the Carnegie Institution for Science, and Richard Rhodes, Author of 26 Pulitzer Prize winning books, including his most recent, Energy: a human story, Posted in May 2018.

A complete list of signatories and the letter they signed is attached below. The letter must be published in The Hill Times sure Wednesday November 7th.

"We commend Canadian companies and engineers for their research and development in a broad range of next-generation energy technologies, including small modular reactors (RMPs), as well as for their support by the federal government," added M Schumacher. "These technologies can change the game in the fight against climate change, and Canada leadership in this area is something that all Canadians can be proud of. "

Climate change and nuclear innovation:
Open letter to Canadians

The accumulated evidence suggests an impending climate change disaster unless humanity takes dramatic action. Large scale deployment of low-carbon energy sources to quickly replace polluting fuels is a top priority.

Canada – a country on the right side of history with its commitment to reduce carbon emissions – has a special responsibility at this time of transformation. Promising efforts are underway to exploit Canada significant national capacities – reinforced by a strong economy, an educated population and world-clbad research institutes – and help set the example for the world.

Canada carbon emissions from the electricity grid are two-thirds below the global average. From Ontario emissions are even lower, largely because nuclear energy provides more than half of the supply. The province has completely eliminated coal through a combination of nuclear power, hydroelectricity and renewable energy. At the national level, nuclear power comes second to hydroelectric power – a difficult source to exploit – Canada clean energy supply.

We can still progress in Canada (and around the world) with Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): advanced and innovative nuclear energy systems being developed by several Canadian companies, as well as dozens of others around the world. They provide safe, abundant, carbon-free energy to power Canada needs in the coming decades. And they offer the hope of providing clean and affordable energy to Canada isolated and vulnerable communities that currently depend on dirty and expensive diesel fuel.

These innovative efforts in the field of nuclear energy deserve the support of government, industry and all Canadians. The innovation in reactor design will allow us to build on past successes and move to a low-carbon economy. As many studies have shown, although renewable energy can eventually provide much of the world's low-carbon energy, it would be risky to rely on renewable energy alone. The SMRs will provide an additional powerful tool.

We commend Canadian companies and engineers for their research and development in a wide range of next-generation energy technologies, including SMRs. These technologies can change the game in the fight against climate change. Canada leadership in this area is something that all Canadians can be proud of.

Sign,

SOURCE Generation Films Inc.

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