300+ NGOS say No To Mickey Mouse Climate "Solutions"

Three dozen environmental leaders from
16 countries braved icy cold weather on Wednesday morning in front of
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Meeting in
Poznan, Poland where they called nuclear power "a Mickey Mouse
solution" to climate change. The activists were carrying banners and
posters with lively slogans including "Don't Nuke the Climate," "No
Nuclear Power in The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)" and "Nuclear
Power, No Thanks!"

Most were wearing t-shirts with the familiar "Mickey Mouse ears"
emblazoned with the radiation symbol. The activists, representing
non-governmental organizations from nearby European countries and from
as far away as Taiwan, South Korea, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan and
California, announced the release of a global call for the elimination
of proposals to include nuclear power as an approved investment for
greenhouse gas mitigation in the 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto
Protocol of the UNFCCC.

In only one week, over 300 NGOs representing millions of individuals
from 50 countries in every corner of the planet signed on to the public
appeal to keep the nuclear power option out of the climate talks.

Spokespeople from the four organizers of today's action made their case
throughout the morning by talking one-on-one to hundreds of government
delegates and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as they entered the
conference site for morning sessions.

Speaking to the press, Sabine Bock, coordinator of energy and climate
protection for Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF) said:
"Nuclear energy has proven in the past that it is a threat not only to
our health and the environment, but also to human rights."

"In our work at WECF with local communities," Bock continued, "we have
encountered severe health problems and human rights abuses of
populations due to the harmful effects of nuclear energy and
radiation." Bock added: "We can't understand why governments still
promote this dangerous technology rather than taking the opportunity to
develop safe and sustainable new, renewable, and clean energy
solutions."

Jan Van de Putte, Nuclear Campaign Coordinator for Greenpeace described
nuclear power as an obstacle to effective climate protection saying
that money invested in nuclear power is not nearly as effective as
money invested in wind power, for example."

"Nuclear power is a dangerous and dirty energy source - it provides too
little energy for mitigation at too slow a pace and at too great a
cost." Van de Putte continued, "the cost per Kwh of nuclear power is
double that of wind energy. It just doesn't make sense to pursue this
outdated energy source."

Vladimir Slivyak, Co-Chair of Ecodefense Russia, called upon his
national government as well as other delegations to stop promoting
nuclear power into the Kyoto Protocol via provisions for Joint
Implementation and the Clean Development Mechanism. "78 % of Russians
are opposed to nuclear power," Slivyak said. "We demand that the
Russian delegation stop any plans to develop new nuclear plants." "We
further call on all governments to stop new nuclear development."

Claire Greensfelder, Deputy Director of the International Forum on
Globalization of San Francisco, California, said: "Despite year after
year of rejection by the state parties to the Convention, the nuclear
industry (and a small group of states) continues to promote the
economic and public health disaster of nuclear power." Greensfelder
continued: "We also have grave concerns about the health and
environmental impacts of increased uranium mining, milling and nuclear
waste storage, much of which is on indigenous peoples' lands, many of
whom are opposed to continued nuclear development. Indigenous peoples'
right to free prior and informed consent of development on their lands,
as established by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples, (passed in the UN General Assembly in September 2007), must be
taken into consideration."

Holding a colorful homemade banner proclaiming "No Fishy Nukes!,",
Gloria Hsu, Chair, of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union (TEPU)
said: "Using nuclear power for CO2 reduction is the same as drinking
some poison to quench your thirst."

"We have managed thus far to keep nuclear power out of the Kyoto
Protocol," said Peer de Rijk, executive director of World Information
Service on Energy (WISE), speaking from Amsterdam. "We will continue to
do whatever we can to achieve the same for a much needed post-Kyoto
agreement. Nuclear energy is a deadlock, blocking real solutions. Don't
nuke the climate!

A copy of the statement can be found on NIRS' website at https://www.nirs.org/climate/background/pa_nuclearaction9dec17h1.pdf

A list of the organizational signers can be found on NIRS' website at https://www.nirs.org/climate/background/nonuclearcdm_signons_10dec08press-pdf.pdf