World climate panel in Bangkok to recommend nuclear energy

Apr 29, 2007, 2:43 GMT

Bangkok - The United Nations Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which gathers in Bangkok this week is expected to throw its weight behind nuclear energy as a means of mitigating global warming, media reports said Sunday.

'In addition to renewable energy sources, nuclear power will be recommended by scientists as a lesser evil in terms of global warming,' Wanum Permpibul of the Climate Action Group told The Nation newspaper.

On Monday through Friday, 80 of the world's leading experts on climate change will meet in Bangkok to debate the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report to 150 state representatives on policy recommendations to mitigate the impact of global warming, blamed primarily on consumption of carbon-based fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal.

The final report, after what is expected to be a heated debate among participants, will be made public on Friday.

An IPCC endorsement for nuclear power would be controversial, given the strong opposition to the energy source by environmentalists and community-based organizations.

Thailand, for instance currently relies heavily on natural gas for its electricity generation, but is moving towards coal power in the near future and nuclear within 13 years, according to government planners.

'That (IPCC) recommendation will aid the pro-nuclear lobby,' said Wanun.

The IPCC conclusions in Bangkok will become an important reference for future negotiations on global warming such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

'Suggestions from Bangkok will be aired at the conference which is expected to decide the future direction of world climate-change efforts after the Kyoto Protocol,' said World Wildlife Fund for Nature energy expert Martin Hill.

The IPCC drew world attention to the reality of global warming in February at its Paris meeting and then highlighted the impact of the trend on populations, agriculture and species at a meeting in Brussels in early April.

At the Bangkok meeting, the IPCC report will focus on options for mitigating the trend.