Australian Nuclear Free Alliance – a force in the federal elections 2013
Christina Macpherson, 5 Feb 13 Australian politicians be warned! You’d better get clued up about uranium and nuclear issues. Because you will be put on the 
spot. These are not party political issues – they’re too important for that. The Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA) will be talking to, and scrutinising, politicians of all persuasions. And voters will want to know where the candidates stand , on these critical issues.
Yesterday I was privileged to attend Day 2 of the National Nuclear Free Strategy meeting, held in Melbourne by the Australian Nuclear Free Alliance. Quite an eye opener – to join these informed, capable and dedicated campaigners from many organisations, who came together from the Northern Territory and 5 States – all with the same goal – a nuclear free Australia.
I counted 19 different organisations represented, and in several cases, such as Friends of the Earth, and the Medical Association for the Prevention of War, several representatives and from different States.
Most of these organisations run on the proverbial shoe-string, yet have talented and competent members. and have already achieved much success.
ANFA now takes up the challenge of awakening Australia’s politicians, media, and public to critical matters for this election year:
- The Muckaty court case – and The ongoing saga of the Aboriginal traditional owners’ rights to oppose nuclear waste dumping on their land.
- The need to thoroughly review uranium mining, in the light of the continuing Fukushima radiation disaster, (not to mention the parlous state of the uranium industry), and to stop the development of uranium mining in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia.
We will be hearing much more from ANFA, as the year progresses. And, we’ll be hearing, in each State, from the groups that make up ANFA – here are just a few:
- Gundjiheimi Aboriginal Corporation
- Western Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (strong Aboriginal presence)
- Japanese for Peace
- Environment Centre of Northern Territory
- Medical Association for the Prevention of War
- Australian Student Environment Network
- Radio 3CR – Radioactive Show
- Footprints for Peace
- Australian Conservation Foundation
- International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
- Friends of the Earth
- Beyond Nuclear Initiative
- Uranium Free New South Wales
- Conservation Council of Western Australia
- Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
- Electrical Trades Union
- Protest Barrick (Canada)
- Australian Greens – Senator Scott Ludlam
- another distinguished guest – Professor Richard Broinowski
NOT using renewable energy will cost Australia dearly
The Cost Of Not Using Renewable Energy http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3576
5 Feb 13, Not using renewable energy for electricity production is costing future generations over $9 billion a day – and that doesn’t costs associated with health impacts and climate change.
Solar naysayers have often used cost as a reason for not making the switch – an argument rapidly running out of steam given the plummeting prices of solar panels. Something else worth considering is the cost of not going solar.
For example, rapidly increasing electricity prices can make installing solar panelsa better investment than putting money in the bank for many households.
But what about the bigger picture? How much will delaying renewable energy in reaching its potential now cost the world each year in the future? While renewable energy sources such as the wind and sun are comparatively inexhaustible; burning a lump of coal to create power is a single-use affair.
A recently released report from the World Future Council attempts for the first time to calculate the economic loss caused by the use of fossil fuels for energy production.
“Externalised costs from burning fossil fuels are incurred not only through damages from climate change but also through the lack of future availability of fossil raw materials consumed to meet our current energy demands, although alternatives exist,” states political economist Dr. Matthias Kroll.
The report concludes that the future usage loss resulting from our current oil, gas and coal consumption is between 3.2 and 3.4 trillion US dollars per year – conservatively and based on current market prices.
“Protecting the use of increasingly valuable fossil raw materials for the future is possible by substituting these materials with renewables. Every day that this is delayed and fossil raw materials are consumed as one-time energy creates a future usage loss of between 8.8 and 9.3 billion US Dollars.”
The Monetary Cost of the Non-Use of Renewable Energies can be viewed in full here (PDF).
Infrasound is NOT a problem caused by wind turbines
Wind Farm Infrasound Myth Debunked http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3577 5 Feb 13, South Australia’s Environment Protection Authority has released a report showing infrasound levels at homes near wind turbines is no greater than what is experienced elsewhere. Infrasound is sound that is lower in frequency than 20 Hz (Hertz), which is lower than the “normal” limit of human hearing.
Infrasound is a point seized upon by some anti-wind farm campaigners as a contributor to “Wind-Turbine Syndrome“, a mysterious affliction said to cause psychological issues and physiological problems such as insomnia, headaches, tinnitus, vertigo and nausea.
In the EPA study, undertaken in conjunction with Resonate Acoustics, infrasound levels were recorded at seven locations in urban areas and four locations in rural areas; including two residences approximately 1.5 kilometres away from wind turbines at Bluff Wind Farm and Clements Gap Wind Farm.
The EPA says infrasound levels measured at the two residential locations near wind farms were “within the range of infrasound levels measured at comparable locations away from wind farms”. The report notes the results at one of the houses near a wind farm were the lowest infrasound levels measured at any of the 11 locations included in the study.
“This study concludes that the level of infrasound at houses near the wind turbines assessed is no greater than that experienced in other urban and rural environments, and that the contribution of wind turbines to the measured infrasound levels is insignificant in comparison with the background level of infrasound in the environment.”
Commenting on the report, Clean Energy Council Policy Director Russell Marsh said, “The results of the EPA’s report show that the real contributors to infrasound are things like air-conditioners, traffic and urban office environments – not wind farms. This is great news for clean and safe renewable wind energy and further reassurance for communities near wind farms.”
In January last year, Australia’s Climate And Health Alliance (CAHA) stated“There is no credible peer reviewed scientific evidence that demonstrates a link between wind turbines and direct adverse health impacts in people living in proximity to them.”
The report on infrasound levels near wind farms and in other environments can be viewed in full here (PDF).
As New Zealand did, Australia should reserve Parliamentary seats for indigenous people
if history has taught us anything, it is that treating our most
vulnerable members like we treat everybody else can be the very source
of their disadvantage.
The pursuit of equality often requires that we
treat people differently because it is by attending to the specific
needs and histories of diverse populations that they gain the ability
to participate in society on a par with everybody else. That is why
breaking glass ceilings requires that we treat women not like men, but
as a group encountering unique social barriers to promotion…..
A better voice for indigenous Australians, SMH, February 4, 2013
George Vasilev Reserving parliamentary seats for indigenous citizens
is about equality. The vexed issue of indigenous representation has
surfaced again with Julia Gillard’s controversial endorsement of Nova
Peris as a Labor Senate candidate for the September 14 election.
Australia has an abysmal record on indigenous representation. Only
three indigenous people have ever been elected to federal Parliament.
Of those, the Liberals’ Ken Wyatt is the only candidate to ever win a
seat in the House of Representatives.
In a country where indigenous people comprise 2.5 per cent of the
population and with a federal Parliament with 226 seats, we fall way
short of the most basic standard of representative fairness that
demands legislatures reflect the societies they govern. Continue reading
World expert joins CSIRO push for thermal solar power
“Australia has one of the best solar resources in the world, Dr Blanco said.
“It is a natural fit for an international solar thermal research
collaboration to use this resource and our expertise to make solar
power the cheapest, cleanest energy source it can be. “We will reduce
the cost of solar thermal to just 12 cents a kilowatt hour by 2020 and
provide zero-emission energy to people when they need it. It’s a
technological leap but we will do it.”
World solar expert shines light on Australia Eco News, BY DAVID TWOMEY
· FEBRUARY 4, 2013 Australia’s leading science and research
organisation, CSIRO, has appointed world-renowned scientist Dr Manuel
J Blanco as Director of the Australian Solar Thermal Research
Initiative (ASTRI). Continue reading
In 2012 China installed more than one third of world’s new wind turbines
China’s wind energy industry spirals higher, SMH, February 4, 2013 Peter Hannam China installed more than a third of the world’s new wind turbines in 2012 and is on course to beat the government’s 2015 target of 100 gigawatts of generation capacity by more than a year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) data.
Wind energy in China now accounts for 5.3 per cent of the country’s generating capacity and supplies about 2 per cent of its electricity, placing it behind only coal and hydro power…… http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/chinas-wind-energy-industry-spirals-higher-20130204-2dua3.html#ixzz2K3DEUj6b
St Louis’ cancer cluster near nuclear waste facility
TV: “Staggering number of cancers, illnesses, and birth defects” linked to nuclear waste? Over 700 cases found in only four square miles — “There’s something very wrong” (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/tv-staggering-number-cancers-illnesses-birth-defects-linked-nuclear-waste-700-cases-found-only-4-sq-miles-video
February 1st, 2013
Title: Cancer cluster map of St. Louis
Source: KSDK
Author: Leisa Zigman
Date: Feb 1, 2013
h/t Anonymous tip
Transcript Excerpts
Anchor: There are radioactive secrets beneath the banks and waters of a north St. Louis County creek that may be linked to a staggering number of cancers, illnesses and birth defects. In four square miles, there are three reported cases of conjoined twins and cancer rates that one data expert says is statistically impossible. […]
Source: KSDK (See .pdf: Illnesses Linked to Manhattan Project Waste CHART)
Janell Wright, class of ’88 McCluer North High School, Accountant and former auditor: “There’s something very wrong.” […]
Leisa Zigman, Reporter: At first she found 30 cases. Within two months, she had data on 200 cases. Now, her maps have more than 700 cases in four square miles […]
Wright: “The children usually came down with brain cancer in the first 15 years of life, in addition, leukemia. In my peer group’s children, there were several children who had to have their thyroid removed before they were 10-years-old.”
Zigman: In the 1940s, Mallinckrodt Chemical Works in downtown St. Louis purified thousands of tons of uranium to make the first atomic bombs. […] 21 acres of airport land became a dumping site where a toxic mixture of uranium, thorium, and radium sat uncovered or in barrels. In the 60s, government documents noted contents from the rusting barrels were seeping into nearby Coldwater Creek. And by the 90s, the government confirmed unsafe levels of radioactive materials in the water. […]
Watch the video here
In situ uranium mining – much the same as fracking, and a threat to groundwater
When it comes to fracking for yellowcake, even more pressing than shaky economics is the obvious potential for environmental contamination. The process is not only extremely water intensive, as is typical of fracking, but it’s also happening at a shallow depth. Unlike the Eagle Ford’s oil and gas reserves, which are miles underground, the in situ uranium mining is taking place at the same level as local groundwater supplies.
Fracking for Yellowcake: The Next Frontier? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-rubin/fracking-for-yellowcake-t_b_2612418.html Jeffrey Rubin 02/04/2013 It works for oil and natural gas, so why not frack for uranium too? After all, America relies on foreign uranium just like it depends on foreign oil.
In the U.S. these days, it seems like you can sell almost anything if you spin it as part of the pursuit of energy independence. Enter Uranium Energy Corp. A junior mining company with Canadian roots, UEC is developing the newest uranium mine in the U.S. And it’s counting on fracking to do it.
Texans, in general, are no strangers to fracking. UEC is operating in the heart of fracking country, south Texas’s Eagle Ford basin, one of the most prolific shale plays in the country. Instead of oil and gas, though, UEC (recently profiled by Forbes Magazine) is fracking for yellowcake.
The technology is basically the same. It involves injecting a mixture of highly pressurized water and sand into an underground formation in order to break open fissures in the rock that allow the energy riches within to be extracted. In this case, it’s a slurry of uranium ore that’s then dried and processed into powdery yellowcake, an intermediate product that eventually becomes fuel for nuclear reactors. Continue reading
Queensland’s rules on uranium mining will be “different” from those in other states
Uranium mining group to deliver recommendations ABC News, By Kate Stephens Feb 4, 2013 A State Government-appointed committee assessing the best practise approach for uranium mining in Queensland says it may develop recommendations that differ from other states. Members of the Uranium Mining Implementation Committee have spoken to local authorities, mining companies and stakeholders in the Mount Isa and Gulf regions about the restart of mining.
Committee chairman Peter Bell says they are due to report back to Government next month……http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-04/uranium-mining-group-to-deliver-recommendations/4498994
Niger President confirms that France’s war in Mali is on behalf of AREVA’s uranium industry
France protects Niger uranium mine BBC News, 4 Feb 13, Niger has confirmed that French special forces are protecting one of the country’s biggest uranium mines. President Mahamadou Issoufou told French media that security was being tightened at the Arlit mine after the recent hostage crisis in Algeria. French company Areva plays a major part in mining in Niger – the world’s fifth-largest producer of uranium.
Islamist militants kidnapped five French workers from the mine in Arlit three years ago. Four of them are still being held – along with three other French hostages – and it is believed they could be in the north of Mali close to where French troops are battling al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Asked if he could confirm that French special forces were guarding the uranium mine, President Issoufou told channel TV5: “Absolutely I can confirm. “We decided, especially in light of what happened in Algeria… not to take risks and strengthen the protection of mining sites,” he added.
France’s Agence France-Presse news agency said a dozen French special forces reservists were strengthening security at the site.Areva gets much of its uranium from the two mines it operates in the country, at Arlit and Imouraren… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21318043
Climate change – floods impacting on Australia’s coal export industry
Miners could see $500m washed away BY:ANDREW FRASER The Australian February 01, TWO big miners yesterday revealed they could not meet contracts to sell coal in the wake of flood damage. (subscription only)
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/queensland-floods/miners-could-see-500m-washed-away/story-fn7iwx3v-1226566318155
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 