Climate experts slam English Greens for abandoning anti-nuclear stance

A coalition of top climate campaigners and researchers issued an open letter denouncing the Green Party of England and Wales for reversing its historic anti-nuclear policy. The letter, signed by figures such as Mike Childs, Doug Parr and Jonathon Porritt, argues that nuclear power’s decades-long build periods and expense hinder urgent emissions reductions. The party’s Brighton conference resolved to accept nuclear as a current energy source and to evaluate future plants case by case.

Signatories highlighted recent military and cyber threats to civil nuclear sites, referencing Russia’s seizure of Zaporizhzhia and Chornobyl and drone strikes on the UAE’s Barakah plant. They also contrasted nuclear’s modest output with the rapid growth of renewables, noting that renewables now supply the majority of UK electricity and dominate new global capacity. The Scottish Greens are set to debate a motion supporting nuclear, while the English Greens’ energy spokesperson Carla Denyer emphasized a continued focus on wind and solar, with nuclear considered only where it offers low-carbon benefits.