US climate envoy launches international nuclear fusion plan at COP28: Details

US special climate envoy John Kerry launched an international engagement plan on nuclear fusion on Tuesday, saying the emissions-free technology could form a critical piece of the world’s energy future.

Kerry said that the plan included 35 nations and focuses on research and development, supply chain issues and regulation.

“There is potential in fusion to revolutionize our world,” Kerry told the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

Fusion, which powers the sun and stars to generate electricity, can be replicated on Earth with heat and pressure using lasers or magnets to smash two light atoms into a denser one, releasing large amounts of energy.

While the technology is still in development, fusion could have an important advantage over today’s nuclear fission plants by producing huge amounts of power without the long-lasting radioactive waste.

Britain and the United States on Nov. 8 signed a cooperation agreement on fusion.