South Australian politicians salivate over expanding uranium mine, but uranium market collapsing
Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine – as a hugely expensive and huge hole in South Australia is going to be an
environmental messup in so many ways.
Those who care about the public good want to stop this behemoth. Theirs is an uphill fight.
Still, it is possible for BHP Billiton to mine the copper and gold – and return the uranium to the pit. They don’t have to sell uranium. And it’s not going to be worth selling.
The South Australian government – they’re not very bright – are all agog for this copper/uranium monster project. Little chance that they will genuinely review it – here’s their latest comment :
– “I can tell you, having been regularly updated by my colleague Kevin Foley, Olympic Dam is a goer, it will get a sign-off.” – South Australian Infrastructure Minister Patrick Conlon , as Premier Mike Rann and former treasurer Kevin Foley flew to Melbourne to begin the final round of negotiations with BHP over the Olympic Dam expansion.
At the same time – the news is all bad for the nuclear and uranium industries:
Uranium market sees thin activity and lower price, Industrial Fuels and Power, August 17th, 2011 The uranium spot price delivered no surprises this week as it slipped further by US$1.00 to US$50.50/lb. Three days earlier, TradeTech had noted a US$1.25 WoW fall to US$50.25/lb, attributing the drop to thin demand and supply “with a few sellers competing for even fewer sales opportunities.”
Buyers – this week utilities, traders and financial entities – are largely uninterested and reluctant to commit purchases. …http://www.ifandp.com/article/0013083.html
Australian gas projects will likely benefit as countries delay nuclear power expansion plans – Bloomberg 17 Aug 11 – CM
Nuclear energy a dead cat, as solar will take over
Is nuclear an option? It is difficult to see how the nuclear power industry will cope with falling solar prices and increased perceptions of risk following the Fukushima accident. Solar and wind power will soon put the nuclear power construction industry out of business.
Solar energy is vast, ubiquitous and indefinitely sustainable. There will never be a major solar accident, there’s minimal waste disposal issues, and we will never go to war over solar energy.
Solar will force coal and nuclear out of the energy business The Conversation, by Andrew Blakers, 18 August 2011, A solar energy revolution is brewing that will put the coal and nuclear industries out of business. Solar is already reaching price parity with coal in many parts of Australia. In contrast to coal and nuclear, solar is fully sustainable and safe. Solar is now an established industry that is growing very rapidly. Continue reading
Social Impact Bonds – a way for Aboriginals to remain on their land
Indigenous Australians deserve an opportunity to help themselves. Some might want a mining job, most do not. Some welcome the ongoing industrialisation of their country, but many think there must be a better way. An impact bond is one way to offer more control to indigenous people over investments in their future. There is risk, of course, but the greater risk is that we continue down the same sorry path we have been on for decades.
A Bran Nue Way ahead, SMH Patrick Read ,Michael Dodson/ IanGill, August 17, 2011“………….The reality is that many indigenous Australians want to remain on their land. They want to lead productive lives caring for their country, not digging it up. To its credit, the Commonwealth already invests in programs – such as indigenous protected areas (IPAs) and Caring for Our Country – that employ indigenous rangers in recognition of their unique knowledge of the land and its cultural and natural resources. Continue reading
with the goal of a nuclear free Asia, Australia should engage with North Korea
We need to engage with North Korea, THE AUSTRALIAN, Danielle Chubb August 18, 2011“……….The fact US Northern Command believes the Taepodong-2 rocket is incapable of reaching US territory (let alone Australia) notwithstanding, the North Korean nuclear crisis is seen as evidence of a government whose goals and ambitions seem insusceptible to usual diplomatic routes, run as it is by a man with whom one can clearly not negotiate. Rather than reminding ourselves of the many ways in which North Korea is different to us, we need to begin our conversations with a recognition of what we have in common. Yes, North Korea deserves our condemnation. However, recent history shows us that treating North Korea as an exceptional case has not served us well.
We have had a string of policy failures and little progress has been made towards either disarmament or non-proliferation. It is time to move past the notion that treating North Korea as a legitimate negotiating partner is akin to a form of appeasement.
Our Foreign Minister, rather than describing the North Koreans as “detached from reality”, as he did during the July ASEAN Regional Forum in Bali, would do well to start talking about lifting the visa ban that prevents North Koreans from coming to Australia for cultural and educational programs. Calling a country’s policies “irrational” is actually an admission that we don’t understand their rationale.
Such understanding is gained through interaction, not isolation. There are no quick fixes to the “North Korea conundrum” and moral posturing will not get us far. On the back of spectacular policy failure after spectacular policy failure, it is time to look with new eyes at this country that sits in the centre of northeast Asia.
Australia needs to open its doors to North Korean citizens and government employees, for it is not until we recognise that North Korea is a state made up of real people with real fears about their national security (well-founded or not) that we will be able to come some way to crafting a more intelligent and innovative response to the North Korea nuclear crisis and eventually achieve the end goal of a nuclear-free Asia…http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/we-need-to-engage-with-north-korea/story-e6frg6ux-1226116930716
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 