Antinuclear

Australia: Climate change action? Nuclear-free? 2013 is the critical year

Unless a new nuclear disaster occurs, the global nuclear lobby is set for a pretty successful 2013.  Japan is to re-invigorate its nuclear industry, China is going ahead with a big nuclear plant, Fukushima is off the media radar, and the world is being subtly conned into loving low level radiation, and new gee-whiz nuclear reactors.

And yet –   “If You Don’t Fight, You Lose” – so we antinukes press on, both against nuclear energy/nuclear weapons, and for real action on climate change.  I, for one, want my grandchildren to know that I tried.

Matters nuclear would seem to be taking  a holiday for the holiday season. Except for Lucas Heights Opal nuclear reactor  being shut down due to the fire yesterday (08/01/13)    – there would be little to report.

Bank hoax Am I the only one who wasn’t very keen on Johathan Moylan’s hoax pretending to be  a press release from ANZ bank – about Whitehaven Coal share price?   Seems to me that falsifying bank information, however daring, is a criminal offence, and can only lower public opinion of the environmental movement.

Climate The Australian media marks the new year with its usual huge emphasis on sport and trivia. Except now, for the bushfires, but we don’t connect them to global warming, now, do we? Especially as three East coast Liberal governments don’t really believe in global warming.

On the nuclear front –  Australia now gets a new burst of pro nuke propaganda, with these main themes:

• Low level radiation is pitched as not harmful, (and nuclear solves global warming, too)  – this headed by University of Adelaide’s pro nuclear front department “The Environment Institute” headed by Barry Brook and Ben Heard. 
• China is touted as soaring away with new nuclear power, (though its own Environment Minister is dubious about its safety)  Japan‘s government  is all out for nuclear power – they’ll need Australian uranium again.
• New nuclear reactors touted. The Age Business section (8/01/13 )gives practically a full blown advertisement article on Thorium reactors – (no mention that they need plutonium fuel, too, and barely a mention , of their toxic wastes, their weapons proliferation danger, security hazards, –  and not mentioned at all – their commercial non viability.  Being small, they’re economic only if sold in mass quantities – which is highly unlikely)

January 9, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina reviews