Contradictions in Australia’s BHP and nuclear hype
First BHP. The news is full of BHP Billiton’s massive profits and future prospects. Yet within all this, a small sobering note. Floods in many countries, including Australia, have hampered BHP’s mining activities.
And these floods were not one-offs. Also in today’s news, scientists now have evidence that global warming is increasing these extreme climate events. Not such a good forecast for coal and uranium mining.
Second – contradictions in Liberal Party policy. On the one hand, it’s the party of climate denial. On the other hand, they have the doctrine of “Nuclear Power As the Solution to Climate Change”.
As for Labor – well – there seem to be few contradictions there – all snouts to the big mining corporations’ trough – Christina Macpherson
Big Australian union comes out strongly against uranium mining
The ETU, which largely represents electrical, communications and power industry workers, says sections of the Labor movement are dead against uranium mining.
“The ETU has no doubt that, once reacquainted with the facts, the community will also continue to reject the idea of more uranium mining,”
Unions clash over Qld uranium ban, Sydney Morning Herald, Petrina Berry, February 17, 2011 Attempts by Australia’s biggest blue-collar union to overturn Queensland’s ban on uranium mining will face strong opposition from another major union. Continue reading
350 detained as Germans protest nuclear waste transport
Hundreds detained in nuclear shipment protest (Google hosted news, AFP) – 17 Feb, BERLIN — German police Wednesday said they detained hundreds of anti-nuclear protestors who tried to block the departure of a cross-country shipment of nuclear waste.The activists tried to get in the way of an 80-metre (260-foot), five-carriage train carrying some 60 tonnes of nuclear as it set off from the western city of Karlsruhe to Lubmin, the main facility in eastern Germany.Police said the protest was peaceful and around 350 were detained.The train was expected to arrive on Thursday after a 900-kilometre (560-mile) trip. AFP: Hundreds detained in nuclear shipment protest
Floods scientifically linked to global warming
It is the first study to quantitatively link a severe rainfall event and climate change.
Blame human emissions for British floods – environment – 16 February 2011 – New Scientist“……….This week, a study has shown that the devastating floods which damaged nearly 10,000 properties in England and Wales in 2000, and cost £1.3 billion in insurance losses, were made significantly more likely by climate change caused by humans. Continue reading
BHP’s world-wide operations hit by floods
Big firm, big profit, big problem, The Age, Eric JohnstonFebruary 17, 2011 “….In the last six months BHP wasn’t just affected by the devastating floods in Australia. It also had to contend with floods in South Africa, Columbia and Brazil.”In some cases it is worse than we’ve had in Australia,” Kloppers said yesterday….”Big firm, big profit, big problem
Nuclear Danger – message posted on Spanish reactor
‘PELIGRO NUCLEAR’ | Greenpeace International, 17 Feb 2011, ‘NUCLEAR DANGER’ is the message Greenpeace Spain took to the country’s Cofrentes nuclear energy plant yesterday as activists scaled one of the plant’s cooling towers.Greenpeace are demanding that Spain’s Nuclear Security Council refuse to renew the plant’s permit to operate – which expires on March 19 Continue reading
Across Australia for $10 in a wind-powered car
was powered primarily by a lithium ion battery that was recharged at night by a mobile wind turbine,
Wind-powered car succeeds in hard Australian voyage By Pauline Askin,SYDNEY Feb 16 (Reuters ) – A car powered primarily by wind and kites has made it across a vast swathe of Australia, enduring searing heat and freezing cold along the way — and all for roughly $10 Australian. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 