기후 변화 목표 달성: 원자력의 역할 (Meeting Climate Change Targets: The Role of Nuclear Energy)
본 보고서는 파리 협정의 온실가스 배출량의 감축을 위한 원자력의 역할에 대해 서술하고 있습니다.
Governments around the world have identified the climate crisis as one of the defining challenges for this generation and an existential threat (US Department of Defense, 2021; UN, 2021a). Climate experts have stated that climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying and the strong, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions required to meet Paris Agreement emissions reductions targets are not on track (IPCC, 2021).
The magnitude of the challenge should not be underestimated. If the rise in mean global temperatures is to be limited to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, the planet has a “carbon budget” of 420 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions (Raupach et al., 2014). However, rather than the steep reductions scientists had hoped for, global emissions are now expected to rise 16% by 2030 compared to 2010 (UN, 2021b). If net carbon emissions are to peak within the next few years and be reduced to zero by 2100 (or sooner), policy changes around the world as well as massive investments in innovation, infrastructure, and deployment of non-emitting energy resources will be required. More specifically, electricity systems will need to be decarbonised; vehicle fleets must be electrified or transitioned to non-emitting fuels; and a range of industrial sectors (e.g. off-grid mining, buildings, chemicals, iron and steel, cement, oil and gas) must all be transformed as well.