Local’s who stand against the plan have also told Bellona that Bangladesh can fair fine on cheaper and readily available renewables and other climate friendly solutions it is now obligated to pursue as one of the 195 signatories of the Paris accord. And while many argue nuclear power falls into that emissions free category, plant construction times would fail to meet deadlines to halt global warming to below 2C under pre-industrial levels. Plus, continued mining of uranium for fuel worldwide is nothing if not carbon intensive. The plan for the Bangladesh has elicited criticism from experts in the local population, and Bellona has interviewed Bangladeshis who are against the import of Russian nuclear reactors. One of these is Nusrat Islam Khan, a journalist from the city of Pabna in Bangladesh’s central district, which is where the plant would, in fact, be located. Her chief concern is that the plant’s construction was a political, not a popular decision.
Bellona 11th Jan 2016 read more »