Remember COP28 in Dubai last December? It wasn’t just another climate conference. Something significant happened: all 198 countries who’ve signed up to the UN’s climate change framework agreed that we need to ramp up low-emission energy, and that includes nuclear power. They saw it as crucial for quickly cutting carbon, especially in those tricky sectors like heavy industry. And get this – 25 of those countries actually pledged to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050! That’s a pretty big commitment.

Fast forward to New York Climate Week, and a group of 14 major financial institutions stepped up and said, “We get it. Nuclear energy has a real role to play in getting us to a low-carbon future.” They even went further, expressing support for nuclear energy and the whole nuclear industry to help generate clean electricity. That’s a powerful statement coming from the financial world.

Think about the institutions involved: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Ares Management, Bank of America, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Brookfield, Citi, Credit Agricole CIB, Goldman Sachs, Guggenheim Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley, Rothschild & Co, Segra Capital Management, and Societe Generale. These aren’t small players.

The World Nuclear Association summed it up nicely: “Capital markets and financing can play a critical role in developing and growing nuclear energy projects worldwide. Financial institutions can provide experience, global presence, services and solutions to support the industry.” Basically, they have the know-how and the resources to make things happen.

And then there was John Podesta, President Biden’s Senior Advisor for International Climate Policy, kicking things off at the event. He put it plainly: “Our collective mission is clear – nuclear energy is clean energy, and if we want a liveable planet, secure and sustainable clean energy supply chains, and prosperity for everyone, we need nuclear energy to play its part. I’m confident we can do this – if we work together.” It sounds like the momentum is building.