Antinuclear

Australian news, and some related international items

Another USA military base for Australia

 “This current global situation is characterised by John Bellamy Foster as “the attempts of Washington to restore and expand its global hegemony, using its military power to enhance its economic position”…….When imperial power starts to fade, as was the case with Britain’s in the early 20th century, it seems that Australian polticians’ response is to tie us ever closer to the sinking ship”….“potentially the deadliest period in the history of imperialism.” If we sow this wind in Darwin, then we’ll reap the whirlwind…..”

US Marines to have Darwin base: expert reactions, The Conversation, 11 November 2011,    http://theconversation.edu.au/us-marines-to-have-darwin-base-expert-reactions-4260    The Labor Government will reportedly allow the US to permanently base American Marines in Darwin.

If this goes ahead, Australia will join a long list of countries around the world that host American soldiers, including former US colonies such as the Philippines and Cuba, its vanquished WWII foes, Japan and Germany, and scores of other countries. What does it mean for Australia?…

Dr Kelvin McQueen, Faculty of The Professions, School of Education, University of New England:

There are disturbing reports that the Gillard government is giving the US Marines a base in Darwin. Not since the Vietnam War will Australia have seen such an invasion of US miltary personnel into its territory. But it’s 35 years since that war ended, so what is the threat to both the US and Australia that necessitates a Marine base in our northern capital? Continue reading →

November 11, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, weapons and war | 1 Comment

Australia does little for nuclear disarmament, just follows American line

The Rudd and Gillard governments, like those before them, have taken a cautious approach to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. They have been unwilling to push for anything more than the United States will accept. Indeed, Australia’s policies perfectly mirror those of our powerful nuclear-armed ally…

For years, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has urged the Australian government to join the international mainstream in supporting negotiations on a comprehensive nuclear weapons ban – a
nuclear weapons convention. But it has refused to do so, ..

Australia driving the push for nuclear disarmament? Hardly  !  Crikey.com November 11, 2011  by Tim Wright Fifteen years ago in The Hague, the International Court of Justice – the highest legal authority in the world – handed down one of its most
contentious advisory opinions. To the chagrin of the nuclear powers, it declared that all governments are legally obliged to disarm, and todo so without unreasonable delay.

“The destructive power of nuclear weapons,” the court remarked, “cannot be contained in either space or time. They have the potential to destroy all civilisation and the entire ecosystem of the planet.” It observed that radiation released by a nuclear explosion would affect health, agriculture and natural resources, and pose “a serious
danger to future generations”. Continue reading →

November 11, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Jail for nuclear EDF nuclear company executives who spied on France’s Greenpeace

This spying scandal and verdict against EDF couldn’t have come at a worse time for the global nuclear industry

 Nuclear giant EDF found guilty of spying on Greenpeace, Greenpeace,  by Justin McKeating – November 10, 2011, As the great Mahatma Gandhi (nearly) said, ”First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they spy on you, then you win”.

That’s pretty much the chain of events that lead to today’s conviction by a French court of French state electricity company, Electricité de France SA (EDF) for spying on us. The court fined the company 1.5 million Euros and ordered it to pay €500,000 in damages to Greenpeace France. In addition, the court sent the four men involved, two of them senior EDF executives, to jail as well – and fined three of them. Continue reading →

November 11, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Running out of time to act on global warming – not that Martin Ferguson cares

Five years to act on climate: report The Age , Tom Arup and David Wroe November 11, 2011THE world has just five years to make ”urgent and radical policy changes” or lock in dangerous climate change, the world’s leading energy agency has warned, sparking a debate about whether Australia should shift to gas or renewable energy.

The 2011 World Energy Outlook – released by the International Energy Agency late on Wednesday night – finds the world is on track to build enough fossil-fuel power stations, energy-intensive factories and buildings by 2017 to close the door on keeping climate change to a safe level…… The outlook says coal consumption needs to peak well before 2020 if the world wants to halt global warming at a 2 degrees rise, which scientists say is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

If energy and climate policies currently proposed by all world governments – including Australia’s carbon tax – are put in place, temperatures will rise by 3.5 degrees. If the world remains on its current path of growth in fossil fuels global temperatures will rise by 6 degrees, the outlook says.

Agency chief economist Fatih Birol said if by 2017 there is not a start to major new clean infrastructure investments ”the door to 2 degrees will be closed”. ”I am very worried,” he said, ”if we don’t change direction now on how we use energy, we will end up beyond what scientists tell us is the minimum. The door will be closed forever.”

The outlook comes as nations prepare to converge on the South African city of Durban later this month for the next round of global climate change negotiations, but there is almost no expectation significant progress on a global pact will be made.

The agency’s report says emissions from existing fossil-fuel power plants, factories and buildings have already locked in 80 per cent of the emissions allowed by 2035 to keep carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to 450 parts per million, the maximum possible to keep temperature rises to 2 degrees. The other 20 per cent will be eaten up by 2017 on current development trends the outlook says.

Greens deputy leader Christine Milne told The Age the report showed that there was no longer time to use gas – which is a cleaner-burning fuel than coal – as a stepping stone to renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal. ”[The outlook] is basically saying to the investment community, ‘You are going to be gambling on how long gas has got as any kind of transitional fuel’.”

Australia would need to make deeper cuts to keep to a 450ppm target, which would restrict the number of permits under the carbon-pricing scheme and make emissions more expensive.

However, Mr Ferguson told The Age: ”The flexibility of gas-fired technology and the fact it is the cleanest fossil fuel make it an attractive investment option.” In addition to gas, the message I am getting firsthand out of China and India … is that coal-fired power will increase and Australia is well placed to supply coal to fuel their growing economies.”…   http://www.theage.com.au/national/five-years-to-act-on-climate-report-20111110-1n9he.html#ixzz1dRh1PZbd

November 11, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming | | Leave a comment

Martin Ferguson’s conflict of interest on renewable energy, and attack on Greens

Yes, it’s an awful shame that Australia has a Minister for Resources, Energy and Tourism – when there is clearly a conflict of interest in that role

Martin Ferguson has chosen to effectively be Australia’s Minister For Nuclear Power, and Fossil Fuels –  sure – they are forms of energy.  It’s just a pity that these are in direct conflict with renewable energy, and tourism, for which Ferguson is also responsible.   He has a firm grip on disseminatng information to downgrade renewable s, even to having his own stooge representing Australia at IRENA. – C.M. 

 

Ferguson slams Greens on renewable energy, Business Spectator , 11 Nov 2011 The Greens push for Australia to abandon non-renewable energy sources within a decade has prompted Energy Minister Martin Ferguson to say the party is “living in fantasy land” in comments that risk further escalating rifts between Labor and the Greens, according to a report by The Australian.

Mr Ferguson said the Greens’ push to abandon non-renewable energy sources will not be achievable so long as renewable energy is more expensive than traditional energy sources.

“It is time the Greens stopped deliberately misleading the Australian public with their claims that Australia can move to 100 per cent renewable energy within a decade,” Mr Ferguson said, according to The Australian.

“They are living in fantasy land if they think this can be achieved.” The Greens have declared that the federal government’s $23-a-tonne carbon tax, passed by the Senate on Tuesday, does not go far enough on moving towards renewable energy, the newspaper added. http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Ferguson-slams-Greens-on-renewable-energy-pd20111110-NGRE4?opendocument&src=rss

November 11, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics | Leave a comment

Australia might block investment in nuclear weapons, including in Future Fund

Australia to Weigh Powers for Blocking Nuke Investments NTI Global Security Newswire, Nov. 10, 2011 Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith has requested a formal opinion on whether he wields authority under existing statutes to bar the possession of financial stakes in firms involved in nuclear weapons activities, The Australiannewspaper reported on Thursday (see GSN, Oct. 17).

Smith instructed William Blick, a former inspector-general of intelligence and security, to determine “whether the investment of funds in companies that develop, produce, acquire or stockpile weapons of mass destruction should be controlled” by the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act. Canberra has tapped the law in five instances over roughly the last two years to prevent transfers of items with possible WMD applications to Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries including Iran (see GSN, April 5, 2010).

The law’s potential use to prohibit financial interests in nuclear weapon-linked firms might affect a pension fund for Australian government retirees. Australia’s “Future Fund” had $137.7 million in holdings in 15 such companies, including Boeing, EADS, Honeywell and Northrop Grumman, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Sean Parnell,  THE AUSTRALIAN,   Nov. 10).http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20111110_7447.php

November 11, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics | Leave a comment