KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - New Zealand is resisting a push by Australia and the United States for nuclear power as the answer to global warming.
Ministerial meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (Apec) have been dominated by climate change policy, but New Zealand has found itself on a different side of the table from the US and Australia.
New Zealand wants countries to set specific targets to reduce greenhouse gases, while Australian Prime Minister John Howard is trying to get all 21 Apec members to commit to more general goals as leaders get ready to debate the issue over the weekend.
US President George Bush also believes that nuclear power is the key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
"If you truly care about greenhouse gases then you'll support nuclear power," he said.
"If you believe that greenhouse gases are a problem ... if you take the issue seriously like I do and John (Howard) does then you should be supportive of nuclear power."
New Zealand has a ban on all nuclear power and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said this was not going to change.
The push for greater uptake of nuclear power was "part of the discussion, but whether it was part of the solution was a totally different matter", Mr Peters said.
It was not a surprise different countries held different views and they were perfectly entitled to.
Trade and Disarmament Minister Phil Goff said while nuclear power would reduce emissions it would also "cause other concerns", among them waste disposal, safety issues and the creation of terrorist targets.
"These are concerns that should be addressed," Mr Goff said.
Other countries would make their own decisions in the end, but New Zealand would prefer a greater reliance on sustainable energy sources.
As of June 2006, there were 441 nuclear power reactors in operation in 30 countries, mainly centred in Europe and North America. They total supply about 16 per cent of the world's electricity.
But both China and India are investing heavily in nuclear power generation to meet the needs of their rapidly industrialising countries. China is building three nuclear reactors but wants to increase its generation five-fold in 15 years. India is building eight reactors but wants to see a ten-fold increase in nuclear capacity by 2022.
In a speech last year, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Dr Mohamed El Baradei said that nuclear power generation is expected to increase 75 per cent in the next 20 years.
He said it was being driven by:
- demand for cheap electricity in developing countries
- the improved safety record of the nuclear power industry after the Chernobyl accident in 1986
- the growing green movement around the world, since nuclear power has less impact than fossil fuels
- the desire of countries to be independent for their electricity needs, spurred by the oil shocks of the 1970s and instability in the Middle East where most oil is found.
- NZPA, NZ HERALD STAFF
