U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz issued a statement on Sunday after the conclusion of the Paris Climate Change Conference.
“This agreement puts in place a framework to keep global warming below the most dangerous levels,” Moniz said. “Innovation-driven lower clean-energy costs will underpin increased ambition on climate, while enabling life-changing energy services to the poor and enhanced global energy security. That is why the Mission Innovation initiative announced by President Obama and leaders from 19 other countries to double clean-energy R&D over five years, along with the parallel private funding effort launched by Bill Gates, will be central parts of the follow-on to Paris.”
Moniz said the agreement reached in Paris indicates that the international community is committed to supporting innovations in low-carbon technologies that includes nuclear energy, renewables and carbon-trapping technology.
Time magazine said countries that agree to and ratify this agreement commit to cutting their carbon emissions to meet global goals of keeping the global average temperature below a two-degree Celsius or 3.6-degree Fahrenheit rise by 2100. It also facilitates significant capital to be invested into counter-measures against climate-change effects and develops low-carbon generation methods.
Nuclear advocacy groups said that to meet international climate-mitigation goals, the amount of nuclear capacity must increase by a significant amoun. The World Nuclear Association said up to 18 percent of global energy should be generated through nuclear power.
