IAEA Director General urges Governments to Face Up to Sustainable Energy Challenge

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Dr. Hans Blix, was today awarded the Uranium Institute's Gold Medal for "outstanding contributions which have facilitated the deployment of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes." In a statement following acceptance of the award, Dr. Blix called on Governments to address squarely the issue of how to meet growing global electrical power needs while avoiding the risk of climate change. As examples of suitable fora for this, he cited the White House conference later this year on climate change; the Kyoto conference in December on the same subject; and the G-8 meeting of energy ministers in Russia next spring.

Delivering the keynote speech at the Annual Symposium of the Uranium Institute in London September 4, Dr. Blix said there is at present a glaring credibility gap between the declared public determination to limit the global emissions of greenhouse gases linked to fossil fuel burning and the means currently suggested to achieve this - namely, energy savings and an expanded use of renewable sources of energy. "It would be paradoxical in this situation", he added, "if the world were to continue burning ever more hydrocarbon resources, which could have much more valuable uses, and were to leave in the earth uranium and thorium resources which can hardly be of any other peaceful use than as fuel in nuclear reactors." He was therefore convinced of the logic and inevitability of a nuclear power revival, provided prolonged problem-free operation of existing plants was assured.

Dr. Blix also observed, as the President of Brazil had recently noted, that the nuclear weapons era is drawing to a close. "The future competition between bigger nations", he said, "will be pursued in the fields of economy and information. However, States need to feel confident that no one is developing or hiding nuclear weapons. This requires not only effective nuclear disarmament but also a universalization and a further consolidation of the successful non-proliferation regime. IAEA verification - the safeguards system - is an essential instrument contributing to confidence. It has recently been much strengthened. The successful implementation of the new system is needed not only to help create confidence about States; it is equally needed as a basis for trade in nuclear material, equipment and technology. The IAEA and its member governments do not wish to make the system unduly burdensome. They look to industry to help make it an effective and indispensable part of the peaceful use of nuclear power." Dr. Blix concluded that ending the era of nuclear weapons should make it easier to enter the renaissance era of nuclear power.