MEMBER PUBLIC OUTREACH for NUCLEAR ENERGY
as a SOLUTION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

ANS is working to promote the equal treatment of nuclear energy as a global solution to reducing carbon emissions.Your help is needed to generate public outreach in the media on a local level leading up to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in December.

Below and on the reverse side area templateLetter to the Editor and Opinion piece for ANS members to submit to their local newspapers and online publications.Here are instructions for the use of these pieces.

Local Newspaper Instructions

  • Most newspapers will only accept opinion pieces or letters to the editor through forms on their websites. Find the Letters to the Editor or Opinion submission pages and complete the online forms. Type or copy and paste the template text into the space for the body copy.
  • If you prefer to mail or hand-deliver your Letter or Opinion piece, please be sure to RETYPE IT ON YOUR OWN LETTERHEAD OR BLANK PAPER. Do not copy the template sheet. Many media will only accept original pieces.
  • Be sure to include your contact information, including phone number. Many media will not run items until they verify that they have been sent by the person named.
  • Feel free to edit the templates to reflect your personal opinions.

If you have questions, please contact the ANS Communications and Outreach Department at , or call 708-579-8230.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

NUCLEAR ENERGY MUST BE AMONG CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

Dear Editor,

Representatives of world governments will be meeting in Paris in December for the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21). The agreement currently on the table calls for an 80 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. Study after study has shown that it is unrealistic to expect the world to achieve this goal without a significant expansion of nuclear energy generation.

As a member of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), I am committed toimproving the understanding of nuclear science and technology, appropriate applications, and of the benefits of their use. That is why ANS has joined nearly 120 organizations worldwide in the Nuclear for Climate initiative to ensure that nuclear power is treated equally with other low-carbon energy sources in both compliance and financing portions of any potential agreement.

We are at a watershed moment in protecting the earth’s climate. The world needs all low-carbon energy sources to meet the needs of the growing population and to give developing nations the chance to provide reliable electricity to their citizens who now live without. Nuclear energy has an important role to play in the future of clean, low-carbon energy, both domestically and abroad, and must part of the solution.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Member, American Nuclear Society

Contact: Phone number and email address

OPINION PIECE

NUCLEAR ENERGY MUST BE AMONG COP21 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

By Your Name, Professional Title; Member, American Nuclear Society

(e.g. Mary Green, Nuclear Engineer; Member, American Nuclear Society)

Climate change and solutions to reducing carbon emissions are going to be hotly debated at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris November 30-December 12. Representatives from around the world will be deciding on the proposed 80 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050, and how the world will accomplish this goal. Study after study has shown that it is unrealistic to expect the world to achieve this goal without a significant expansion of nuclear energy generation.

Despite these findings, there are those who are advocating for nuclear energy to be cut from the mix of solutions. However, every country must have the right to access to the widest possible portfolio of low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear power.

More than one billion people are living today without the basic energy resources we take for granted that are vital to health and prosperity, and that number is estimated to grow to three billion by 2050 if we don’t take action now. We need the clean energy of all current nuclear power plants to prevent the use of fossil fuels until renewables can ramp up to the baseload scale that nuclear now provides. This may take many years to achieve. Without nuclear, more damage will be done to the environment and the world will be scrambling just to get back to current CO2levels, let alone reduce them even further.

As a member of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), I am committed toimproving the understanding of nuclear science and technology, appropriate applications, and of the benefits of their use. That is why ANS has joined nearly 120 organizations worldwide in the Nuclear for Climate initiative to ensure that nuclear power is treated equally with other low-carbon energy sources in both compliance and financing portions of any potential COP21 agreement.

We are at a tipping point in protecting the earth’s climate. The world needs all low-carbon energy sources to meet the needs of the growing population and to give developing nations the chance to provide reliable electricity to their citizens who now live without. Nuclear energy has an important role to play in the future of clean, low-carbon energy, both domestically and abroad, and must part of the solution.

------

(See the opposite side for instructions on how to submit this piece to local newspapers and online publications.)

*Or use your cellphone to capture the QR code on the right for online access to the letters above.