"Spain and Europe cannot dispense with nuclear energy if we wish to fulfil the Kyoto protocol,"

De Palacio said at the release of a Spanish "dictionary" of energy terms aimed at boosting awareness about climate change.

The Kyoto Protocol requires industrialised signatory countries to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, the carbon-based pollution which results from burning fossil fuels and is blamed for driving global warming.

De Palacio urged Europe to increase the use of renewable energy sources or risk adding to global warming.

She also noted that "Spain is already above emission quotas" for its use of fossil fuels, despite bringing onstream a swathe of nuclear reactors in the past decade to generate some 30 percent of overall energy production.

"We must face up to the situation -- not bury our heads in the sand like an ostrich."

De Palacio pointed out that countries such as Finland and Japan have announced plans to extend their production of nuclear energy, while in neighbouring France nuclear energy is the primary source of electricity generation.

Earlier this month, the environment ministers of France and Germany issued a joint appeal for Russia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to enable the United Nations' agreement to come into force.

In December Moscow signalled it wanted more concessions on the rules regulating foreign investments and clean technology.

The United States walked away from the deal in 2001, dubbing it too costly.

Kyoto requires wealthy industrialised countries to make an overall cut of 5.2 percent in emissions of carbon dioxide gases blamed for global warming by a target date of 2008 to 2012 as compared with the levels of 1990. Spain has made an individual commitment to a reduction of 15 percent.

WAR.WIRE