Antinuclear

Australian news, and some related international items

Australians walk to close our 59 year atomic nightmare

This was the beginning of the nuclear nightmare for Australia that led to numerous other tests being conducted in South Australia and an ongoing battle that is still being fought around the country to stop uranium mines from opening and to close those that are already supply uranium to this dirty, dangerous and costly industy.
This anniversary will see the “Walk away from Uranium Mining” that started from Wiluna on the 21st of August heading out from Southern Cross on their last 3 weeks of walking in to Perth to arrive at the CHOGM meeting that begins on the 28th of October.
59 years later we are still saying NO ,   www.nuclearfreefuture.com  Marcus Atkinson , 3 Oct ,  On October 3rd, 2011 we see the 59th anniversary of the first atomic Bomb blast in Australia.  This took place off the coast of Western Australia at the Montebello islands in 1952. Continue reading →

October 3, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

CT scans and X-rays – cancer risks in low level radiation

Medical imaging with radiation and cancer: the risk  Indy Star.com 3 Oct 11 Ionizing radiation used in medical imaging, such as CT scans and diagnostic X-rays, is high-frequency radiation that has enough energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. This is called ionization. Ionized molecules are unstable and quickly undergo chemical changes. Ionizing radiation has enough energy to damage the DNA in cells, which in turn may lead to cancer, says the American Cancer Society.

» The damage takes place in a fraction of a second, but other changes, such as the beginning of cancer, may take years to develop. Radiation studies have shown it takes five to 10 years for blood cancers to develop and 15 to 30 years for solid tumors to develop.

Most studies on radiation and cancer risk have looked at people exposed to very high does of radiation, such as during the Chernobyl nuclear accident….  http://www.indystar.com/article/20111002/LIVING01/110020319/Medical-imaging-radiation-cancer-risk

October 3, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

World’s 10 most radioactive places – Fukushima is top

– 10 Most Radioactive Places on Earth   Infinite Unknown 24 Sept 11 While the 2011 earthquake and worries surrounding Fukushima have brought the threat of radioactivity back into the public consciousness, many people still don’t realize that radioactive contamination is a worldwide danger. Radionuclides are in the top six toxic threats as listed in the 2010 report by The Blacksmith Institute, an NGO dedicated to tackling pollution. You might be surprised by the locations of some of the world’s most radioactive places — and thus the number of people living in fear of the effects radiation could have on them and their children.

10. Hanford, USA Continue reading →

October 3, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Australia-Norway climate proposal seen as “recipe for inaction”

“This is the only way ahead. There is no other way than failure,” said a senior climate negotiator from a developed country on the Australia-Norway proposal, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the talks.
The Australia-Norway proposal will be a focus of U.N.-led climate talks in Panama this week, the last round before the conference in Durban.
“RECIPE FOR INACTION”…..”It basically delays real action to address climate change and vulnerable countries aren’t going to like it,” said Ian Fry, lead climate negotiator for the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, told Reuters, adding: “It’s a gift to the United States.”
 World divided on new plan to combat global warming, Reuters  David Fogarty, Reuters, SINGAPORE  October 2, 2011 A new plan to curb global warming risks becoming a battleground between rich and poor nations and could struggle to get off the ground as negotiators battle over the fate of the ailing Kyoto climate pact.

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol covers only emissions from rich nations that produce less than a third of mankind’s carbon pollution and its first phase is due to expire end-2012. Poorer nations want it extended, while many rich countries say a broader pact is needed to include all big polluters.

Australia and Norway have proposed negotiations on a new agreement, but say it is unrealistic to expect that to be ready by 2013. They have set a target date two years later, in 2015. Continue reading →

October 3, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming | | Leave a comment

Australian rooftop solar system providing power at all times


under the current government’s lack of incentives, rooftop solar is not economically attractive … until now.”

urban consumers wanted access to the grid to ensure they had power at all times.

“This achieves that for people – it’s a system which guarantees power supply from a predominantly solar source,”

What solar crisis?, Daily Examiner, 3 Oct 2011 A CLARENCE Valley solar power innovation promises to dramatically reduce household power costs and is offering hope to an industry sector which has had the rug pulled from under it.

In a first for Australia, Northern Rivers Renewable Energy (NRRE) has developed a system that automatically manages a home’s solar and grid power to the advantage of the home owner.

In a nutshell, the household’s entire electricity needs are stored in batteries which are, for the most part, recharged by solar power.

Now – and here’s the innovation – if enough solar energy is not produced, due to persistent rain for example, the system then recharges the batteries from grid power using a combination of off-peak and peak electricity. Continue reading →

October 3, 2011 Posted by | New South Wales, solar | | Leave a comment