Antinuclear

The mess that is the Lynas rare earths project in Malaysia

First of all – then world does need rare earths. They are needed for wind turbines, electric cars, mobile phones, and many other smart things that mean progress in the 21st Century.

So – where’s the problem?  Well it seems to me that there is  a cloud of secrecy and deception surrounding Australian Corporation Lynas and its rare earths project in Malaysia.

Doubletalk is going on  as we see in news items lower on this page.:   Western Australia ‘would not accept responsibility for any waste produced by Lynas Malaysia ‘  ‘the Western Australian government does not support the import and storage of other countries’ radioactive waste.’ 

But  the Malaysian Government ‘ is satisfied there will be no radioactive residue produced during the plant’s operation, we have ordered Lynas to guarantee and plan the provision of a permanent waste disposal facility far from human population as recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency’.

Why did the IAEA want the waste far away if it isn’t radioactive?

It would seem to me that if rare earths are so necessary for renewable energy, some way should be found to process them.  But, unfortunately, rare earths have a sordid history of mismanagement and radioactive pollution in China and Malaysia.  Meanwhile Lynas Corporation is simply behaving the way mining corporations have to –  their focus is narrowly on profit,  just like all the   other Ugly Australian mining corporations abroad.

Also unfortunately, the nuclear lobby is watching the Lynas radioactive wastes saga, – as a prelude to nuclear power taking off in South East Asia.

And how long can Australia get away with exporting minerals with complete disregard of the environmental consequences abroad?

March 7, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina reviews