Speech: Let's ditch ideology

"In less than a week, the United Nations Climate Change Conference kicks off in Glasgow. I will be there with a simple message: Nuclear is, and will be, part of the solution.

The signs are there, and have been there for a long time. Woods are burning, floods and hurricanes are multiplying, and temperatures are rising.

Now is the time for action, and this action must be based on science and on facts. Because according to the best science of our day, nuclear power IS part of the solution.

Nuclear energy provides more than a quarter of the world's clean power. Over the last half century, it has avoided the release of more than 70 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases. Without nuclear power, many of the world's biggest economies would lack their main source of clean electricity. And we at the IAEA work every day to make sure that nuclear power is safe and secure.

But to achieve net-zero, we need more nuclear power.

That's the scientific consensus from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and other leading climate experts.

Governments are starting to converge around this consensus. But we must act faster. COP26 is a chance we cannot waste. It may be one of our last best opportunities to agree on concrete steps to achieve sustainable prosperity for all.

In the face of the climate change, we are all one nation.

So let's ditch ideology.

Nuclear partnered with renewables can get us to net-zero, and power our economies to sustainable prosperity.

Nuclear power needs a place at the table. I will be in Glasgow to make sure it has one."

The video message, which Grossi shared on Twitter, can be seen here.