Nuclear is on the front-line of climate change - and not in a good way.
Channel: Scientists for Global Responsibility
Date: 20/10/2022

Presentation at the SGR Responsible Science conference, 19.10.2022, by Dr. Paul Dorfman (University of Sussex).

Climate models have run hot. As knowledge of enhanced climate sensitivity and polar ice melt-rate evolves, it has become clear that sea-level rise is significantly faster than previously thought, resulting in more frequent and destructive storms, storm surge, severe precipitation, and flooding. With rare extreme events today becoming the norm in the future, existing risk mitigation measures become increasingly obsolete. The corollary to this analysis is that present and planned UK coastal nuclear installations will be at significant risk. In other words, nuclear’s lower-carbon electricity USP sits in the context of the much larger picture – that UK coastal nuclear will be one of the first, and most significant, casualties to ramping climate impact. Put simply, UK nuclear is quite literally on the front-line of climate change – and not in a good way. UK civil nuclear infrastructure is profoundly unprepared for climate impact and there is a very high probability that reactors and their associated high-level spent fuel stores will become unfit for purpose, and much sooner than expected.

Dr Paul Dorfman is an Associate Fellow, Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), Sussex Business School, University of Sussex; Chair, Nuclear Consulting Group (NCG); Member, Irish Govt. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Radiation Protection Advisory Committee (RPAC); Member, International Nuclear Risk Assessment Group (INRAG); and Nuclear Researcher, Greenpeace Environmental Trust. Paul served as Secretary to the UK Govt. scientific advisory Committee Examining Radiation Risks from Internal Emitters (CERRIE); led a European Environment Agency (EEA) response to Fukushima; served as Expert to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC); Advisor to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) Nuclear Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP); Adviser to the French Government; and drafted sets of UK Department of Health National Health Service (NHS) guidance.