The world wants more nuclear energy as a means to fight climate change and supply an ever-growing demand for electricity, part of a generational shift in thinking on atomic power, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog says.
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Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the comments in an interview with The Associated Press at the COP28 climate talks.
He called the inclusion of nuclear power at the summit, where he said a major nuclear agreement was likely, showed just how far the formerly "taboo" subject had come decades after the disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.
However, he acknowledged the challenge still posed for his agency in monitoring nuclear programs in countries, particularly in Iran after the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
"This used to be easier when this international consensus was there and so Iran could see that this was not about political pressure, but a widespread approach that was to see a Middle East, one of the -- if not the most -- volatile region in the world, not to add to the mix the possibility of a country getting nuclear weapons," Grossi said.
Grossi said more countries getting nuclear weapons could create a "domino effect."
"So it's a very, very complicated and potentially dangerous trend," he said.
Grossi, who had just arrived in Dubai from Paris, said he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron about the likely nuclear announcement that will include: "a public commitment in favour of nuclear energy, which in a way that we have never seen before."
He said such an arrangement with the backing of world powers could see nuclear energy become attainable by more nations.
Nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gas emissions, a plus as the world works to reduce emissions. Still, nuclear is sharply opposed by many environmentalists because of its waste.
Macron is expected to speak Saturday at the COP -- or Conference of Parties. The talks are taking place just across the Persian Gulf from Iran, whose President Ebrahim Raisi is also expected to attend.
Australian Associated Press
