Our fight to phase out nuclear energy is about much more than just one type of dirty energy. It’s part of a broader goal: a carbon-free, nuclear-free world powered by clean, renewable energy. That’s the only way we can overcome the challenges of climate change. In pursuing that goal, we have always tried to include those hit first and hardest by climate change: indigenous people, communities of color, poor people, the elderly, women, youth, immigrants, people with disabilities, the global south, and other marginalized communities. They are frequently excluded from mainstream climate debates and from the development of solutions to the crisis.
That’s why the U.S. Climate Action Network (USCAN) brought together more than 100 groups to work on a platform that puts equity and justice at the center of climate solutions. The result is the Vision for Equitable Climate Action (VECA)—the most ambitious and equitable platform ever put out by U.S. climate groups.
NIRS has been deeply involved in this process from the start. The platform includes an entry on nuclear energy that maps out a just and equitable path to a nuclear-free, carbon-free world:
- No new nuclear energy;
- Phasing out existing nuclear energy, in an equitable manner, as soon as reactors can be replaced by expanding renewables and efficiency and not with fossil fuels;
- Ending subsidies to nuclear energy and redirecting those resources to renewable energy, phasing out of nuclear energy facilities, and a just transition for nuclear energy workers.
VECA is the broadest and most detailed climate policy ever produced by U.S. climate groups. It was created through the most transparent, inclusive process to date: nearly 200 individuals from at least 106 groups participated in its drafting. More importantly, the platform puts equity and justice towards those hit first and hardest by climate change at its center.
A big, diverse movement needs an ambitious platform—and now the climate movement has that with VECA. This platform proposes real solutions to the climate crisis and embraces justice and equity toward frontline communities. Read the platform at equitableclimateaction.org and share it with everyone you know!