Time to expose the money that funds Australia’s climate denialist think tanks
“The public should know who is funding climate denial so they can properly judge the information put out by organisations like the Global Warming Policy Foundation,”
“In Australia, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) is a leading source of climate disinformation, yet it retreats into secrecy whenever it is asked about the source of its funding. Environment groups are upfront about their funding, yet denialists claim privacy.”
The first available set of public accounts shows the foundation, which has declared Australia as one of its areas of operation to UK authorities, received £494,625 in donations in its first year.
Bid to out the money behind the voice against climate change, SMH Graham Readfearn January 27, 2012 – A British journalist’s court bid to unmask the financial backers of a group of climate change sceptics is being used to raise questions about how think-tanks are funded in Australia and whether they deserve tax exemptions.
The UK’s Charity Commission, which regulates charities in the UK, is being asked to release a document that would show the start-up funders of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, chaired by former UK chancellor Lord Nigel Lawson.
Launched in November 2009, the foundation has consistently challenged the mainstream scientific view that human emissions of greenhouse gases represent a significant risk to the planet and societies.
Later today, freelance journalist Brendan Montague will appeal to the UK’s Information Rights Tribunal for the release of a bank statement provided to the Charity Commission by Lord Lawson, which Mr Montague believes will identify the source of a $50,000 seed donation.
The case has raised the issue of how think-tanks engaged in public policy debates are funded and whether potential conflicts of interest should be declared. None are required by law to publicly disclose their funders. Continue reading
America’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission will keep the industry running no matter what
Nuclear Power is Clean — as Long as you Ignore ‘Safety’!, Ace Hoffman Salem-News.com, 27 Jan 12,”……On March 10, 2011, the day before Fukushima, the NRC revealed to the media that Vermont Yankee, a poorly-designed old reactor in America, would be granted a license extension in a few days. After an earthquake and tsunami in Japan the next day, a slew of nearly identical reactors began melting down and exploding before our eyes.
Did the NRC change their minds and delay their decision? NO! Did they want to find out if what went wrong in Japan was applicable to Vermont? NO! The NRC does not lack in hubris, or in skill in manipulating the media to its advantage. Every accident — even Fukushima — is an “opportunity to learn,” and so in their macabre way of thinking, every accident, no matter how severe, can be considered a GOOD thing!
Five politically-appointed commissioners make all the “big” decisions at the NRC, and so just three commissioners constitute a majority. There are about 320 million citizens in America, so in a sense, these three people — who are not elected — control the fate of more than one hundred million Americans each. That’s what we call “democracy”?
And it gets worse: They have very finely-crafted laws to protect their power, such that over the past half century, thousands of local, state, and federal judges, as well as commissioners and other officials at all levels, have all deferred to the NRC, and thus, to these three individuals, whose identities change over time, but whose basic philosophy — “keep the nuclear industry running, ignore the dangers” — remains the same.
In addition to being lobbied constantly, politicians (who pick the commissioners) are given huge campaign contributions by the nuclear industry — hundreds of millions of dollars every decade. Often, campaign contributions are given to BOTH candidates in a close election, so regardless of who wins, the winner is beholden to the nuclear industry.
In Vermont recently, a Federal judge threw out the state’s attempt to get Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant shut down permanently after 40 years of constant leaks, piling waste, and random outages, because the judge was convinced the “real” reason Vermonters want the plant shut down is safety concerns — regardless of the OTHER legal rationalities brought forth by the state’s attorneys, such as: A prior agreement by the utility to shut the plant down if requested by the state; Lies
told repeatedly by the utility to the state’s citizens, and: Overpriced electricity the utility was offering the state.
But sooner or later, it always comes down to “safety”. And as long as the NRC says the plants are safe, everyone else says they’re safe too. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/january262012/nuclear-power-ah.php
Nuclear money is a drug of dependence for Japanese towns
“After having received money related to the nuclear power plant like a form of drugs, this region’s capability to nurture its economy independently and actively has declined
Japanese town’s dependence on nuclear plant hushes criticism, By Yoko Kubota, OHI, Japan Jan 26, 2012 (Reuters) – Japan’s nuclear disaster has eroded trust in utilities and shown residents of the rural, mountainous region of Fukui the risk of radiation, but a dependence on atomic plants for jobs and funds means speaking out against them is taboo. Continue reading
Australia’s Professor Martin Green spells it out on solar cell technology
Solar guru receives Australia Day honour , 26 January 2012, Anna Salleh ABC Science, http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/01/26/3415244.htm Australia needs to look to Germany if it is to realise the potential of solar cell technology, says an expert who is being honoured today. Professor Martin Green of the University of New South Wales has been made a Member of the Order of Australia(AM) for his work on photovoltaics.
“Germany has been the only country that’s had a sensible long-term program in place to promote the use of renewables,” says Green.
Some argue solar cells are not a competitive option for reducing carbon emissions, and are limited by the fact that they don’t generate energy unless the Sun is shining.
But according to Green, the “stars are aligning for conventional roof mounted solar” and it is ripe for a new kick start from governments. Continue reading
Australian rare earths company Lynas has not solved its Malaysian radioactive waste problem
Locals say market won’t buy Lynas’ recycled waste, Malaysia, By Shannon Teoh, January 26, 2012 KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Lynas Corp’s plans to recycle waste from its controversial RM2.5 billion rare earth plant in Kuantan into a commercial product will not be accepted by the market, local residents opposed to the refinery said today.
The Stop Lynas Coalition (SLC) and Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) groups said in a joint submission to the government that the synthetic gypsum the Australian miner hopes to produces from its waste is the subject of an international safety campaign due to radiation fears. The use of phospho-gypsum plaster-board and plaster cement in buildings as a substitute for natural gypsum may constitute an additional source of radiation exposure to both workers and members of the public,” the document quoted from Internet-based environmental organisation Zero Waste America. Continue reading
With good management, electric cars could mean cheaper and more efficient infrastructure
How EVs could save the grid – and lower energy bills , Reneweconomy By Giles Parkinson 27 January 2012 The world’s electricity grids are facing a dramatic makeover in coming decades as the rapid expansion of renewable energy, distributed generation, battery storage and smart technology takes hold. It’s going to be a challenge to the energy industry’s operations and to their business models – as big as the challenge that hit the world’s telecom networks more than a decade ago with the success of the mobile phone.
It may be, however, that the introduction of the electric vehicle in great quantities could be a saviour to much of the established infrastructure, protecting assets that could otherwise be stranded and leading to an overall reduction in electricity costs.
The Australian Energy Markets Commission, which is responsible for setting the electricity market rules, released an issues paper this month to help prepare for the sort of changes that might need to be implemented if the uptake of EVs takes off.
It came to two initial conclusions: Badly managed, the rollout of EVs could have a severe impact on electricity costs if battery charging times were not controlled and this resulted in large addition to peak demand.
However, if managed properly, the rollout of EVS could lead to a noticeable reduction in energy costs because it would increase load factors at night time and spread the fixed cost of the network over a larger consumer base. And its storage capacity has the potential to put energy back into the grid at times of peak demand and help reduce wild fluctuations in pricing.
The paper includes work done by the consultancy group AECOM, which finds that the difference in costs to the grid between controlled and uncontrolled charging could be as much as $12 billion if the take up of EVs is high, described as 47 per cent of new vehicles sales by 2020 and 54 per cent by 2030…..
The AECOM is broadly consistent with other studies on the rollout of EVs, including those by AGL Energy, and the Australian Energy Market Operator, although these analyses do inevitably differ on predicting the extent of the uptake of the EV – and in the case of AEMO, the impact on peak demand. The study by AGL, which has a commitment to provide renewable energy to support the rollout of the Better Place network due to begin in Canberra this year, also found that a broad uptake of EVs would have a relatively minimal impact on the nation’s electricity market.
It did conclude, however, that “the correct mix of pricing, policy and regulatory settings should ensure a smooth transition to the decarbonisation of the transport fleet.” And key amongst this is the issue of time of use pricing, among others, which the utility says is essential if the country is to take advantage of smart meters, EVs and distributed generation.
AGL agreed with AECOM in concluding that there should be more than sufficient existing generation, transmission and distribution network capacity to manage the demands of the EV, “provided that the combination of smart meters and critical peak pricing form part of the energy market policy fabric for EV owners.”
It also says that the combination of EVs and time of use pricing could maximize the use of network and generation infrastructure, and this in turn could lower unit costs for all consumers. http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/how-evs-could-save-the-grid-and-lower-energy-bills
Australia’s newest uranium customer celebrates its nuclear weapons
India flexes nuclear muscle on R-Day Times of India TNN | Jan 27, 2012, “….. on display for the first time in the parade were the nuclear-capable Agni IV intermediate range surface-to-surface ballistic missile and the Hercules C-130-J aircraft recently acquired from the US. …. The crowd got excited as an array of weapons and armaments was rolled out on the Rajpath. The first to come were the mechanized columns led by the T-72 tanks. The SMERCH multiple launch rocket system, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket system, and the Advanced Light Helicopter ‘Dhruv’ came later. Then the Agni-IV missile rolled past, much to the cheer of the crowd. It was successfully flight tested last November and DRDO paraded it on Thursday. It got a thunderous welcome. The missile is nuclear capable and can carry a warhead up to 3,500 km. Also for the first time, the 150-km range Prahaar Tactical Battlefield Support Missile and the Rustom-1 unmanned aerial vehicle were part of the parade and proved to be eye-catchers. …
Australia: Constitutional change will entrench dispossession of Aborigines
Settler colonialism is an ongoing process. The maintenance of the Australian nation as it exists today relies on the ongoing displacement and dispossession of aboriginal people from their lands and their cultures…..
The proposed constitutional amendments will not solve this. By continuing to reiterate the idea that aboriginal culture is “ancient”, “traditional” and “part of our national heritage”, the proposed amendments help non-aboriginal Australians to forget not only the genocidal violence perpetrated by early settlers but also their own implication, as settlers on unceded land, in producing the conditions under which most aboriginal Australians live today. By constitutionalising aboriginal Australia in the past tense, this prosperous settler colony may simply take another step towards a future in which tribal dance ceremonies and ancient rituals are all anyone can remember….
Aboriginal Australians are part of the country’s present – not just its past, Guardian UK, 26 Jan 12, It’s Australia Day, but proposed constitutional changes stressing ‘ancient’ aboriginal culture will not unite the country Australia celebrates Australia Day today, marking 224 years since the declaration of British sovereignty and the arrival of the first fleet of convict ships. Australia remains the only Commonwealth country not to have a treaty with its original owners, and although a treaty may have made little difference to the lives of aboriginal Australians, the celebration of Australia Day on unceded land makes many non-aboriginal Australians, myself included, feel highly uncomfortable….. Continue reading
Preserving country and culture- Laurie Baymarrwangga – Senior Australian of the year
Protecting Australia – Senior ANinety-five-year-old Laurie Baymarrwangga from the Crocodile Islands in East Arnhem land is the senior Australian of the year. ABC Rural, By Liz Trevaskis , 26 January 2012 The Aboriginal elder has dedicated her life to the preservation of environment, culture and ecological knowledge, and has donated $400,0000 of her own money to establish projects including a local ranger program and a turtle sanctuary.ustralian of the Year fights for environment and culture…
. She has worked in enormously wonderful ways to create homelands, to put together dictionary projects, to aid livelihood projects like the Crocodile Islands rangers, and she’s worked to help bilingual education and help children learn their own
language on their own country. ….http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2012/s3416266.htm?site=darwin
Western Australia ideal for “solar energy chimney”
Video: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/video-worlds-tallest-building-could-be-a-247-australian-solar-chimney/12558 World’s tallest building could be a 24/7 Australian solar chimney Smart Planet, By Mark Halper | January 26, 2012, “…..Perth-based Hyperion Energy wants to build a kilometer-high “solar chimney” in the Western Australian outback, in partnership with German engineering firm Shlalch Bergermann. …. The monumental scheme rests on the principle that hot air rises. A ground level canopy less than a millimeter thin and covering 3600 hectares would heat air that would escape up the .62-mile high shoot. Along the way, it would drive 32 turbines, with a total capacity of 200 megawatts – roughly the same as is often proposed for small modular nuclear reactors.
“The taller the tower and the bigger the collector, the more electricity is generated,” proclaims the Australian narrator in a Hyperion video promoting the CO2-free energy scheme (see below).
Hyperion believes the so-called “solar updraft tower” would provide much needed power to mining operations in western Australia, and could also connect to the grid. It hopes to go live by 2014. Recharge News says the company is currently seeking approval for the $1.7 billion plan.
Unlike many solar projects, this one would keep the generators humming day and night, as the ground continues to give off captured heat from dusk to dawn, Hyperion says. See for yourself: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/video-worlds-tallest-building-could-be-a-247-australian-solar-chimney/12558
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 