Australia’s voting system distorts Climate Change action
Queensland and particularly Western Australia, which both
have strong fossil fuels industries, relatively rural dwelling patterns, and populations of about 2m and 4.5m respectively.’……….
The climate policy disconnect: It’s rural voter over-representation Financial Times February 8, by Kate Mackenzie “………..a new paper finds that over-representation of regional voters can make a significant difference to public policy on both gasoline taxes and international climate change agreements… Read more »
Obama appoints pro-nuker to Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Mr. Magwood’s dozens of years promoting nuclear power make him unqualified to be a regulator of the industry.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission RC Needs Nuclear Power Regulators, Not Promoters – The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Ingrid Drake and Peter Stockton Feb 08, 2010 It’s not often that POGO lobbies to defeat a presidential nominee. However, we have felt called to speak out as loud as we can in opposition to President Obama’s nomination of William Magwood for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on the grounds that he does not have the independence from the nuclear power industry to regulate it, nor the security oversight background. Read more »
Rudd’s chance to truly address Climate Change
Fortunately, Rudd has been thrown a political and environmental lifeline by the Greens who have proposed the government take up the recommendation made by the Garnaut Report to introduce a transitional carbon tax of $20 a tonne for two years between July 2010 and July 2012.
Rudd missed opportunity to dump failed emissions scheme The Age, Kenneth Diavidson, 8 Feb 2010 February 8, 2010
Uranium prices to go down further
Investors take a stick to disappointing resources companies, Robin Bromby,The Australian, February 08,
“……….Uranium in surplusDEUTSCHE Bank has put a “sell” recommendation on Paladin Energy (PDN) with a target price of $3.30, against Friday’s close at $3.52. The bank’s analysts are predicting a uranium market surplus of 4500 tonnes by 2011.
……….. Deutsche believes uranium prices will be hit this year due to production growth in Kazakhstan, increasing US Department of Energy spot sales, and permit delays to nuclear reactor plans in the West.
Wind farm financed by community group
the Jura wind park is the first in the country to be financed by a broad citizen base: some 600 private investors…
Wind power gains ground in Switzerland GenevaLunch Jessica Evans, 5 February 2010 New wind turbines at Saint-Brais, canton Jura, will raise Switzerland’s total annual renewable energy power production to 17.5 MW, according to Suisse Eole, the Swiss wind energy promotion association. Read more »
Government Report has vision for Sustainable Northern Australia
The Taskforce points the way for a sustainable future for the north of Australia – one that must include Aboriginal people at the heart of it.
Greens Challenge Government over Northern Australia Rachel Siewert 8th February 2010, The Australian Greens have challenged the Government to commit to implementing the vision outlined in the Sustainable Development in Northern Australia report released today. Read more »
Steep reduction in greenhouse gases, through energy efficiency and renewables
Since 2007, the administration of Governor Deval Patrick has put in place ambitious energy efficiency programs, renewable energy goals, and smart growth policies
Massachusetts positioned for steep global warming gas reductions -Boston Globe By Beth Daley, 5 Feb 2010 As national legislation to reduce global warming emissions has stalled in Congress, Massachusetts is on target to reduce its own emissions more than 18 percent below 1990 levels in the next decade, according to a draft technical report released by the state today. Read more »
Australian govt pursues ‘clean coal’, while missing solar opportunity
the Rudd Government’s actions indicate it now aims to keep Australia locked into using coal and gas for the vast bulk of electricity and to protect its coal and gas exports at the expense of new clean energy.
Government neglect turns lights out for solar power industry, The Courier-Mail, Kerrie Sinclair, February 07, 2010 Read more »
Report predicts gloom for nuclear industry’s future
NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE? Nuclear second coming could run out of steam – A Canadian think tank has challenged the idea that a nuclear renaissance is in full swing stating that new reactor construction is likely to be held back by a variety of issues : MineWeb Cameron French , 05 Feb 2010TORONTO (Reuters) – Expectations of a sharp rise in nuclear generating capacity over the next two decades are likely overblown, a Canadian think tank said on Thursday, disputing conventional wisdom that a nuclear renaissance is in full swing. Read more »
W.A’s Chamber of Minerals and Energy doesn’t want public inquiry on uranium mining
Chamber snubs uranium inquiry call ABC News February 4, 2010 The Chamber of Minerals and Energy has rejected the call for a public inquiry into proposed uranium projects in Western Australia.The Government yesterday upheld a decision by the Environmental Protection Authority to use an environmental and management review program to assess Toro Energy’s uranium project near Wiluna.
The Conservation Council of Western Australia wants a public inquiry, the highest level of assessment, and says it should be applied to all proposed uranium projects.
Chamber snubs uranium inquiry call – ABC North West WA – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
This month
For February let’s get away from the nuclear hype, and focus on SUSTAINABLE ENERGY.
For international news, go to nuclear-news
A call for solidarity actions with Belarusian antinuclear movement on February 19-21 – see our Action international page
DECENTRALISED ENERGY SYSTEMS -Small is beautiful!
IMAGINE – a 21st Century world, where our heating, light, electricity came with free fuel – from the roofs of our houses, shops, schools, hospitals – where our water came from our own rainwater tanks, as well as from community water systems.
IMAGINE – a convivial 21st Century – where our houses were moderate in size, where there was plenty of community spaces, where we walked more, rode bikes more – ate our meals in sociability – “slow” food, locally grown. Where our cars didn”t go so fast, but were powered by sun or hydro power. where a lot of our entertainment was firsthand – real people, live music.
IMAGINE – where we still had centralised power, also, from solar, wind, and geothermal sources. We still had centralised systems of transport, such as rail. We still had some large centralised systems.
BUT – we had given up our pretentious McMansions, our gas-guzzling big cars. Where we no longer were impressed with BIG – Big corporations, big power, big-deal people – Christina Macpherson
“The large electrical monopolies love nuclear power, coal and oil fired plants. These plants are far too technical and require far too much investment for the average citizen or small business to undertake. The large monopolies do not favor the wide spread use of solar photovoltaic cells, wind generators or other de-centralized production because it would undermine their monopoly.
If one considers the U.S. Dept. of Energy budget one could really call it the Dept. of Oil, Coal and Nuclear Subsidies: there has been no effort to promote alternatives. Oil, coal and nuclear receive an ocean of funding, while alternatives receive a drip. That is because the huge energy monopolies control the energy debate in Congress through their campaign contribution largesse. Any representative who promotes nuclear as a solution simply has not heard both sides of the story…….”. – Jay Miller, Nuclear power will not solve the problems of global warming
Small, decentralised energy systems are not a new idea. They’ve been around for ages. For just about my whole life, I’ve had a little solar-powered calculator. But new little gadgets are here, too. For example, in Kenya, where access to electricity is limited, solar-powered cell-phones are the go.
The idea that Small is beautiful is not new either. It was given such an intelligent boost in 1972, by Ernest Schumacher in his book “Small is Beautiful”
Schumacher’s ideas are even more relevant today. He saw that continued endless growth is impossible in our finite planet, and argued for a more down to earth and human way of organising society, and energy use.
The idea of small energy sources is foreign and deeply disturbing to the prevailing corporate way of thinking. As Helen Caldicott pointed out – if they could put a blanket around the sun, and sell holes, the power corporations would be happy.
It must be a frightening thought – that people could have their own independent and FREE energy sources.
Yet it does make sense – the more local the energy source, the less need for kilometers of wires. There is such a simplicity in decentralised energy that it is a shock to our prevailing paradigm of Big Power and Big government.
