Talk:2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference

Is France that good an example?

Climate Challenge's paeon of praise for France is based exclusively on its electricity production figures. Yet fossil fuels still account for 53% of France's total energy consumption, using the data on the Shift Project that he quotes and its usage of fossil fuels has only gone down 4% since 1990. This compares with a 9% reduction in neighbouring UK and 16% in Germany over the same period. In the same period France's total energy usage has increased whereas those neighbouring countries have decreased.

It is well known that France's dependence on nuclear power was purely the result of its lack of coal, oil and gas reserves and it is therefore fortuitous that it has not contributed so much greenhouse gases. That's no bad thing with hindsight, but I wonder if it makes sense to make such an example of it. It is also well known that the construction (and dismantling) of nuclear power stations is very energy intensive and that it is mainly unattractive for economic reasons. Hence not many people see it as a major part of the solution to the current climate issues.

Given these reasons, is this a balanced treatment? Chris55 (talk) 22:34, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

Location and participation edit by user "Climate Challenge"

The text below was added to the "Location and participation" section. Why does it keep talking about nuclear power in France? It is written as though it is the opinion of the author. Has there been any official justification or motivation for locating the conference in France, based on its nuclear power? I'm all for nuclear power (due to low CO2 emissions) but this just reads like poorly executed propaganda. Auspicious location? Really?

France is a particularly auspicious location to host the COP21 climate talks because it is the only industrialized country to successfully decarbonize at a pace fast enough to avoid irreversible climate change. As of 2012, France generated over 90% of it’s electricity from zero carbon sources, including nuclear, hydroelectric, and wind. France’s decarbonization is a prime example of a developed country's ability to meet carbon targets while still providing a high standard of living.

France’s advanced technologies, mostly powered by nuclear power systems, have demonstrated the safest track record for an energy system in the world. By producing fewer greenhouse gases through the use of nuclear generation, France helped reduce the number of premature deaths associated with air pollution, which the World Health Organization estimates accounts for nearly 1 in every 7 deaths globally. Since 1990 France's energy sector has avoided the emissions of more than 5 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) by using nuclear generation over fossil fuel generation, such a coal.

Global nuclear generation provides 11% of all electricity production, displaces the emission of over two billion metric tonnes of CO2 a year, and represents the single biggest technological contribution to climate change mitigation. Nuclear and renewable energy electricity generation mixes in France have helped maintain a low carbon footprint other countries are struggling to achieve, and has served as a prime example of the role nuclear energy can play in reducing CO2 emissions.

83.251.163.199 (talk) 16:23, 30 August 2015 (UTC)