Tony Abbott would sell Australia out, in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) ?
Australia’s Labor government has said it would not accept any provisions that would allow corporations to sue Australian governments. The Coalition has given no such commitment.
Tobacco clause might burn free trade agreement http://www.theage.com.au/business/tobacco-clause-might-burn-free-trade-agreement-20130825-2sjuk.html#ixzz2d8J4g3P9 Peter Martin. August 26, 2013 The timetable for completing the world’s largest free trade agreement is slipping as negotiators in Brunei express concern at US proposals to give tobacco companies the power to sue governments and to weaken government control of state-owned enterprises. Continue reading
Traditional Aboriginal landowners in court today, to fight nuclear waste dump
Court details: Directions hearing from 10.15am Monday 26 August 2013,
Court 6A, Level 6, Federal Court, Williams St, Melbourne
For context or comment on the Muckaty issue:
Natalie Wasley, Beyond Nuclear Initiative, on 0429 900 774, Dave Sweeney, ACF, on 0408 317 812
Please note: Muckaty Traditional Owners will be available in Tennant Creek for phone or broadcast quality video interviews after the Federal Court hearing.
On Tuesday night 27 August ‘Manuwangku, Under the Nuclear Cloud’ photographic exhibition is opening in Tennant Creek as part of the Desert Harmony festival. Muckaty Traditional Owners are dancing to open the event and it will be webcast. Please follow link below to the program page.http://www.desertharmonyfestival.com/#!muckaty-exhibition/ct8
Politicians urged to halt controversial Muckaty radioactive waste dump plan
26 Aug 13, Traditional Owners taking legal action against a proposed national radioactive waste dump at Muckaty in the Northern Territory have called on all political parties to halt the plan until the Federal Court has considered the case.
The call comes ahead of a directions hearing today in Melbourne where an expert anthropological report has been filed by law firm Maurice Blackburn which is representing the Traditional Owners.
Key issues of ownership, consultation and consent are now under the spotlight as Aboriginal opponents of the dump plan seek to get the Muckaty site nomination declared invalid.
Traditional Owners and national environment groups are urging all political parties to make a clear commitment not to advance the dump plan during the Court process.
“The Muckaty dump plan is flawed and failing,” said Beyond Nuclear Initiative convenor Natalie Wasley. “The Federal Court case offers a chance to review this poorly conceived plan and given recent comments from former PM Bob Hawke about Australia hosting the world’s nuclear waste there is an urgent need to do things differently and better”.
There is a growing civil society call for an independent National Commission to advance responsible radioactive waste management in Australia – an approach that has been widely used internationally. “Instead of a divisive push for an increasingly discredited dump we need an open and evidence based process to identify the best way to manage some of Australia’s worst wastes,” said Sweeney.
Crippling losses for US nuclear weapons company’s uranium mine in Australia
Fukushima fallout for uranium stings Heathgate Resources Financial Review, SIMON EVANS, 26 Aug 13 Heathgate Resources, the owner of the Beverley uranium mine in northern South Australia, has suffered losses totalling a whopping $60 million over the past two years.
Heathgate has operated Beverley since 2000, but has been hit hard in its past two financial years by a plunge in global uranium prices.Beverley is one of four uranium mines in Australia, and Heathgate is also involved in the nearby Four Mile uranium project, set to become the nation’s fifth uranium mine as regulatory approvals move a step closer.
Uranium prices fell by more than 50 per cent after the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan in March 2011, and have failed to recover . Heathgate Resources made a loss of $34.5 million in calendar 2012 according to its latest financial statements lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
This followed a loss of $25.6 million in 2011.
Heathgate’s total revenue in calendar 2012 was $59 million, according to its financial statements, a substantial slump from the 2011 when total revenue was $84.6 million.
Heathgate president Craig Bartels declined to comment on the results and the operating performance.
Heathgate is owned by the US-based global nuclear giant General Atomics, as is one of Heathgate’s stablemates, Quasar Resources, which holds a 75 per cent stake in the Four Mile project. The other 25 per cent of Four Mile is owned by ASX-listed Alliance Resources, but the two groups are still involved in court action over past disagreements about how best to develop the resource…… http://www.afr.com/p/australia2-0/fukushima_fallout_for_uranium_stings_7q6Q2t7EXWB2IaLsOu5w0L
Depressing lack of Liberal-Labor interest in climate change, as Murdoch media spreads fear of The Greens
the Greens are seen as the main enemy of the major political parties.
Abbott in particular is locking in a higher level of fossil fuel dependence
Smoke and mirrors, with no policy on smoke The Age, August 26, 2013 Kenneth Davidson Senior columnist In a campaign of slogans and scare tactics, environmental issues are dismissed. “…….., the Coalition is having a field day selling fear, aided and abetted by the Murdoch press. This too, is partially the responsibility of Labor, which changed the media ownership rules in the 1980s, paving the way for News Limited to get control of the Herald and Weekly Times group and about 70 per cent of metropolitan daily newspaper circulation.
But the most depressing aspects of this election are the failure of the major parties to develop a coherent policy to deal with climate change, and their willingness to co-operate in squeezing the Greens out of the political process when the Greens are the only 
party prepared to confront the issue.
The draft of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, leaked last week, is truly terrifying. Reports of the draft state that the consequences of greenhouse gas emissions ”at or above current rates” have put the world on track to become up to 5 degrees hotter and that there is a 95 per cent likelihood that human greenhouse gas emissions are driving the rise in extreme weather events now being observed around the world.
The implication of 5 degrees warming is an extremely hostile environment for the biota, de-population and, not to put too fine a point on it, the end of civilisation (including the economy) as we know it. Continue reading
China says that new Fukushima crisis is a core international issue
Official Chinese Press: Fukushima contamination is “serious international environmental issue” — Crisis concerns the core interests of people who share the planet http://enenews.com/commentary-fukushima-contamination-is-international-environmental-issue-govt-must-address-global-anxiety-crisis-concerns-the-core-interests-of-people-who-share-planet
Title: Commentary: Japanese gov’t has to shoulder responsibilities over toxic water leakage in FukushimaSource: Xinhua (China’s official press agency)
Authors: Liu Tian, Zhang Cheng
Date: Aug 23, 2013
[…] it is the time for the Japanese government to shoulder more responsibilities to address the global concerns. […]
Studies showed that radioactive substances have spread into high sea from the crippled nuclear plant, proving that the tragedy has no longer a national problem, but a serious international environmental issue that needs stronger efforts to deal with. […]
A priority for the Japanese government to relieve the global anxiety is to make the accident relevant information more transparent to the international community so as to precisely assess the graveness of the entire accident and its aftermath.
It is hoped that the Japanese government would not keep the information for its own political interests as the issue concerns not only the core interests of the Japanese people, but also people who share the planet. […]
See also: TV: China, Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, and others are going to want to know just how out of control this newly revealed radiation emergency is at Fukushima (VIDEO)
Fukushima crisis should spark re-invigoration of Australia’s anti nuclear movement
Nuclear Free Australia, Hillel Freedman nuclearfreeaus@optusnet.com.au 26 Aug 13,
Election. malection correction. Absolute waste of time. While everyone is involved in bitter feuding that may land Abbott in total control of this country Fukushima Daachi pours a staggering and unheard of amount of nuclear waste into the Pacific ocean. At the moment it looks like people shouldnt eat fish for maybe the next 1000 years. I think that we need to incubate a re invigoration of the long since asleep Australian anti nuclear movement.
Can anyone who is interested in any way please let me know. I say this with the utmost seriousness. Armageddon beckons if any of the 1300 fuel rods that have to be manually removed launch into a nuclear chain reaction. Chernobyl released only 3% of its radioactivity into the atmosphere. This is looking much worse and is totally out of control. We need to demand an international relief mission to take over the rescue, and an immediate cessation of all Australian Uranium Mining and Export.
There is a Japanese Consulate in Melbourne. Please let me know if you can help out in any way at all
Wind power bonanza from windy weather in South Australia, NSW, and Tasmania
Blustery Weather Generated A Wind Power Bonanza http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3907 25 Aug 13, Wind farms in Australia’s National Electricity Market cranked a record amount of power for the week beginning August 11.
During the period, 47% of South Australia’s power was supplied by the wind and Victoria’s wind farms contributed 10% to that state’s electricity needs. Tasmania and New South Wales had their second and third highest levels of wind power generation respectively.
While the blustery conditions caused havoc for emergency services, it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good as they say.
“The positive was the large amount of clean energy that was produced by the wind farms on Australia’s southern coastline, breaking records for the amount of wind power generated in a single week in South Australia and Victoria,” said Clean Energy Council Policy Director Russell Marsh.
“What this shows is that wind power is working. It generates very useful amounts of power and also helps farmers who host wind turbines by providing them with income.” Mr. Marsh says based on data sourced from the Australian Electricity Market Operator (AEMO); wind power provided a record 7.6 per cent of all power generated across the entire National Electricity Market during that week; the equivalent of supplying more than 2.3 million homes.
Under normal conditions, South Australia’s wind farms contribute about one quarter of the state’s total electricity production. In 2011/12, wind generationblew past coal to become the second largest source of electricity in South Australia. The state, which has around 40% of Australia’s installed wind capacity, reached its target of generating 20% of electricity from renewable energy in 2011.
South Australia now has its sights set on producing one third of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Like its previous target, that is expected to be met well ahead of schedule.
Nuclear Energy Apologists Are Going Bananas
When you eat a banana, your body’s level of Potassium-40 doesn’t increase. You just get rid of some excess Potassium-40. The net dose of a banana is zero.
Bananas aren’t really going to give anyone “a more realistic assessment of actual risk”, they’re just going to further distort the picture.
Fukushima: Think Low Level Radiation Is Harmless? Think Again… UKIAH BLOG In Around the web on August 25, 2013Time to combat radiation threat From WASHINGTON’S BLOG
“…………Nuclear apologists pretend that people are exposed to more radiation from bananas than from Fukushima.
But unlike low-levels of radioactive potassium found in bananas – which our bodies have adapted to over many years – cesium-137 and iodine 131 are brand new, extremely dangerous substances.
The EPA explains:
The human body is born with potassium-40 [the type of radiation found in bananas] in its tissues and it is the most common radionuclide in human tissues and in food. We evolved in the presence of potassium-40 and our bodies have well-developed repair mechanisms to respond to its effects. The concentration of potassium-40 in the human body is constant and not affected by concentrations in the environment.
Wikipedia notes:
The amount of potassium (and therefore of 40K) in the human body is fairly constant because of homeostatsis, so that any excess absorbed from food is quickly compensated by the elimination of an equal amount.
It follows that the additional radiation exposure due to eating a banana lasts only for a few hours after ingestion, namely the time it takes for the normal potassium contents of the body to be restored by the kidneys.
BoingBoing reports:
A lot of things you might not suspect of being radioactive are, including Brazil nuts, and your own body. And this fact is sometimes used to downplay the impact of exposure to radiation via medical treatments or accidental intake. Continue reading
Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute shows the way on commercial scale solar energy
In Australia, the evolution of commercial scale solar combined with skyrocketing electricity costs can mean even faster payback times for companies and organisations installing systems.
Germany’s KIT Going Solar http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3906 26 Aug 13, The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is about to install 1 megawatt of solar panels. The Institute says it will be the largest photovoltaics facility designed purely for self-consumption in Germany.
“The photovoltaics facility will not only be used to cover own power consumption, but also to conduct research,” says Dr. Olaf Wollersheim, who is managing the first phase of the project. Detlef Neuhaus, Chief Executive Officer of SOLARWATT, the company supplying the system; says the project will provide very important data. “Joint research based on a facility of this size in cooperation with KIT enables us to maintain our knowledge lead.”
Energy yield and aging behaviour under real-world conditions will be studied; with the goal of developing regenerative energy systems of increased energy efficiency and longer service life. Grid compatibility, novel energy storage systems, intelligent power electronics and system controls will also be examined. Continue reading
75% renewable energy could be achieved in USA quite fast
Billions of solar panels and millions of wind turbines
The good news is we are already getting these.
With An ‘All-Out’ Federal Renewable Energy Strategy, How Long Before We Could Be 100% Renewably Powered?, Forbes, Mark Rogowsky, Internet Entrepeneur, 22 Aug 13, Probably 20-30 years to get to 70-80%, but 80 years to get the last 20-30%.
Let’s clarify that the assumption here is that the United States actually decides to do this per the hypothetical. That means that for whatever reason, the politics has shifted massively from where it currently stands. There are a lot of roadblocks to 100% renewable energy, but relatively few toward mostly renewable energy — assuming you’ve solved the politics problem. Here’s what you need:
An integrated long-distance grid
You’ll be carrying a lot of wind from the Midwest, possibly from offshore in the East, and tons of solar from the Southwest long distances. So you’re going to want much better long-distance power lines, maybe even with superconducting trunks. This will let you use Arizona’s 5 pm sun to power Florida’s air conditioners at 8 pm. Is this trivial? No. Is it technologically impossible? Absolutely not.
Millions of electric cars
We use a lot of non-renewable fuel for transportation. We’re going to need electric vehicles to fix that. Continue reading
UK warned – nuclear power on the way to being an obsolete technology
Nuclear may become obsolete warns US solar energy chief The UK risks missing out on the benefits of solar power by focusing on sources such as nuclear, according to the Scottish entrepreneur behind one of America’s fastest growing retail solar panel companies. The Telegraph, By Louise Armitstead 25 Aug 2013
“Given the proven cost curve in solar, that nuclear plant could be obsolete before it’s even switched on. Politicians must be careful not to lock Britons into 20th century energy prices.”…..http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10265065/Nuclear-may-become-obsolete-warns-US-solar-energy-chief.html
Most “Background Radiation” Didn’t Exist Before Nuclear Weapons Testing and Nuclear Reactors
Fukushima: Think Low Level Radiation Is Harmless? Think Again… UKIAH BLOG In Around the web on August 25, 2013Time to combat radiation threat From WASHINGTON’S BLOG
“………Nuclear apologists pretend that we get a higher exposure from background radiation (when we fly, for example) or x-rays then we get from nuclear accidents.
In fact, there was exactly zero background radioactive cesium or iodine before above-ground nuclear testing and nuclear accidents started.
Wikipedia provides some details on the distribution of cesium-137 due to human activities:
Small amounts of caesium-134 and caesium-137 were released into the environment during nearly all nuclear weapon tests and some nuclear accidents, most notably the Chernobyl disaster.
***
Caesium-137 is unique in that it is totally anthropogenic. Unlike most other radioisotopes, caesium-137 is not produced from its non-radioactive isotope, but from uranium. It did not occur in nature before nuclear weapons testing began. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 