IAEA at COP30: Nuclear Energy, Technology and Science Shaping a Sustainable Future

For the fourth year in a row, the IAEA will host the Atoms4Climate Pavilion, a hub for nuclear information, events and networking at COP30. The space will feature exhibits on how nuclear science and techniques are supporting countries with clean energy, food security, sustainable water resources and ocean protection. IAEA experts will be on hand to answer questions and make presentations during high-level events and discussions.

The Atoms4Climate Pavilion will be inaugurated on 10 November with a virtual address by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and keynote speeches by ministers and senior representatives from governments, international organizations, industry and non-governmental organizations. The IAEA presence at COP30 will spotlight nuclear energy’s role in the clean energy transition and how nuclear science is creating solutions to environmental challenges. 

Atoms4Climate events at COP30 will demonstrate how innovative policies, technologies and partnerships can advance these trends, emphasizing the importance of international collaboration and public-private partnerships.

The full schedule of events is listed here.

The IAEA will lead a UNFCCC side event on financing strategies for low carbon energy sources. Building on the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake at COP28, this event will identify pathways to accelerate the deployment of nuclear power together with renewables as well as emissions abatement and removal technologies, particularly in hard to abate sectors and low-carbon hydrogen production. 

Accelerating deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) will also be in the spotlight. SMRs offer flexible, cost-effective options for powering small energy grids, making them suitable for energy-intensive industries, data centres and commercial ships. An IAEA event will explore approaches to SMR financing, policy and regulation. 

Focusing on advances in fusion research and technology, an event in partnership with ITER will present the current status of research development.

Additional IAEA events will focus on novel financing models for nuclear power, including for supporting energy planning in emerging markets and developing economies including through the IAEA Atoms4NetZero initiative.

IAEA events will also highlight cutting-edge nuclear techniques that strengthen food security, sustainable water resources and ocean health, and related IAEA projects and initiatives supporting countries in the use of nuclear techniques in their monitoring, mitigation and adaptation efforts.

An IAEA event on the sterile insect technique, an environmentally friendly nuclear method for controlling insect pests, will feature Latin American success stories. Several countries in the region have used this method to control fruit flies, enabling them to secure export markets for fruits and vegetables while promoting sustainable agriculture. 

Nuclear techniques for monitoring and assessing glacier retreat are the focus of another IAEA event. Tracking the effects of glacier melting helps ensure sustainable water resources for future generations.

The IAEA will also spotlight how nuclear and isotopic techniques reveal the potential of blue carbon, a nature-based solution for carbon sequestration, and the importance of preserving coastal ecosystems and their biodiversity. Nuclear sciences and techniques generate data that inform national policies and support efforts to protect marine life and coastal economies.

For more details on these and other IAEA events at COP30, please click here.

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