The new director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid this week to highlight the role that nuclear power can play in transition to clean energy, the Vienna-headquartered nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2019) The new director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid this week to highlight the role that nuclear power can play in transition to clean energy, the Vienna-headquartered nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday.
The trip to Spain will become Rafael Grossi's first visit since taking office.
"Nuclear power provides around one-third of the world's low-carbon electricity and already plays a significant role in mitigating climate change. Many of our 171 Member States believe that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve sustainable development and meet global climate goals without significant use of nuclear energy," Grossi said in the run-up to the visit, as quoted in an IAEA statement.
Grossi is expected to attend a high-level UN side event at COP25 that will be devoted to the sustainable development goal 7, i.e. ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, according to the statement.
"The IAEA Director General will also hold bilateral meetings with high-level officials, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Patricia Espinosa, as well as the heads of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Mr Grossi will also hold bilateral meetings with high-level Spanish Government officials," the nuclear watchdog said.
The COP25 conference runs in the Spanish capital from December 2-13.
