Pretend environmentalists join nuclear lobby in film Pandora’s Promise
As stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant continues to spew radioactive water, and teeters still on the brink of a new catastrophe – the nuclear lobby comes up with a new campaign. It is spearheaded by this propaganda film – “Pandora’s Promise”.
This is a good occasion for the usual suspects – pretend environmentalists, vested nuclear interests (Bill Gates, Paul Allen), mainstream cinema reviewers , to praise this nuclear advertising “documentary”.
This film’s lies go beyond its deceptions about ionising radiation, and about safety, and about nuclear waste disposal.
The main selling point – “nuclear power as cure for global warming” is absurd, as the world would need 11,000 nuclear power plants quickly set up, to have any impact on global warming – and that would in fact take decades to set up.
Other lies – the denial of nuclear power’s costs, and of the costs of nuclear waste disposal, and of the costs of security. Also denial of the complete impracticality and cost of setting up thousands of mini nuclear reactors. http://www.beyondnuclear.org/storage/pandoras-false-promises/Aug23_2013_Pandora’s%20False%20Promises.pdf
Tony Abbott ready to sign up to secretive Trans Pacific Partnership
The TPP seeks, among other things, to rewrite the global rules on intellectual property enforcement that would give Big Media new powers to lock users out of our own content and services, provide new liabilities that might force ISPs to police our online activity, and give giant media companies even greater powers to shut down websites and remove content at will. It also encourages ISPs to block accused infringers’ Internet access, and could force ISPs to hand over our private information to big media conglomerates without appropriate privacy safeguards. You can see a more complete list of new restrictions below, but it appears that the TPP would turn all Internet users into suspected copyright criminals. In fact it appears to criminalize content sharing in general.
Abbott set to sign highly secretive TPP agreement this month http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/business/abbott-set-to-sign-secretive-tpp-agreement-this-month/ WHAT SORT of “Trade Agreement” manages to both criminalise internet use and force coal seam fracking onto communities?
The answer to this is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a pact that has the ominous potential to achieve both these corporate objectives — and many more.
Of course, we cannot know the exact effects of the TPP, as the negotiations over the past few years have been held in secret. However, two leaked chapters – out of the 26 or more under negotiation – have caused more than their fair share of concern.
TPP: The Biggest Threat to the Internet You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
One of these chapters threatens to undermine both our existing domestic and international legal systems, throwing away the protections and rights achieved over hundreds of years.
How? Through tribunals linked to a system of International Investor-State Dispute Settlements (ISDS). The one in the TPP led to an open letter signed by prominent Australian judges, lawyers, politicians and academics insisting that the government should not sign an agreement that includes ISDS. The letter states:
‘…the increasing use of this mechanism to skirt domestic court systems and the structural problems inherent in the arbitral regime are corrosive of the rule of law and fairness.’
But ISDS is most definitely included in the proposed TPP put forward by United States negotiators. The Gillard government made it clear that Australia would not sign another trade agreement that included international dispute settlement by tribunals. This followed Australians being burnt by an agreement that has allowed Phillip-Morris to take Australia to an international tribunal over its plain packaging laws, even though our own High Court already decided against Phillip-Morris.
Other countries are experiencing equally serious consequences. Continue reading
THE AUSTRALIAN’S story (with inaccuracies) on Muckaty nuclear waste dump plan
Nuclear dump back on NT table, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/nuclear-dump-back-on-nt-table/story-fn59niix-1226733887067#mm-premiumSEAN PARNELL The Australian. 7 Oct 13 CONTROVERSIAL plans for a nuclear waste dump are back on the agenda, with the Abbott government commissioning a business case that would allow federal cabinet to consider the project next year and potentially have a facility built by 2019.
Regarding the title; an NT dump has never been off the table- every Minister with the waste portfolio since Brendan Nelson announced the plan has continued pursuit of a remote NT site
Minister Ian MacFarlane has said on radio today that he hasn’t even read a briefing on Muckaty since being sworn in so I think its unlikely that the current tender process was actually initiated by him; it seems far more in line with the approach of former Minister Gary Gray.
The government expects to have an initial business case in April, after a period of consultation and fine-tuning by key agencies and stakeholders and ahead of the court hearings set down for June.
The Australian has learned the department last week briefed the private sector on its request for the development of a business case — which neither favours nor precludes the use of Muckaty Station — and the prospect the nuclear waste dump could be constructed and managed under a public-private partnership.
The private sector was told the concept plans delivered by the Spanish agency ENRESA involved a $150m, co-located low-level waste disposal and intermediate-level waste storage facility, which could be up and running by 2019.
While there had been rising support for the use of nuclear power before the Fukushima disaster in 2011, Mr Macfarlane said earlier this year it had dissipated and a Coalition government would not be proposing a nuclear power plant in its first term.
Public support for new Climate Council reaches $1 million
Climate Council, which replaced the axed Climate Commission, reaches $1 million funding target http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-05/climate-council-has-sufficient-funding-to-operate-for-a-year/5000822 6 Oct 2013, The newly formed Climate Council’s appeal for public support has seen it raise its minimum annual operating budget – reaching a target of $1 million.
The council was formed by the team who ran the Commonwealth-funded Climate Commission, which was axed by the Coalition Government.Professor Tim Flannery relaunched the commission as the Climate Council – an independent, crowd-funded organisation to provide quality information to the Australian public.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie says the organisation now has the minimum amount needed to continue for 12 more months.
“This means that we can start employing researchers… by the public getting behind it,” she said. She says reaching the $1 million mark through crowd-funding in such a short period of time proves it is a service that is still wanted and needed.
“Australians are concerned about climate change, they want to see something done, so getting that independent scientific information is really important,” she said. Professor Flannery said donations started rolling in from September 24. “We had our first donation from James in New South Wales for $15 at midnight,” he said at the time.”We’ve been raising $1,000 an hour… through the night.” By Tuesday afternoon 7,200 people had donated $218,000.
Professor Flannery says the council’s purpose is to provide independent information on the science of climate change.
“We have simply one goal and one objective and we always have, which is to take the science, the economics of climate change and what’s happening internationally in terms of action and present it in a clear and understandable and authoritative way to the Australian public,” he said.
World action needed now on Fukushima safety and radiation crisis
World Action Now on Fukushima – Harvey Wasserman PlanetarianPerspectives.net October 5, 2013 Still At It After All These Years Journalist, author, activist and historian Harvey Wasserman has been reporting on, and participating in, the nuclear free movement for decades.
In that time, by his judgment, only one other event matches the nuclear danger to the world posed by the Cuban Missile Crisis.
That event is the ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima.
Haven’t heard about it in the corporate media? That’s because the deadly and dying global nuclear industry and its allies don’t want you to know.
That’s why Wasserman, who edit sNukeFree.org, has organized a petition drive to the UN advocating international expert oversight of, and participation in, management of the Fukushima crisis.
In this EON interview, he explains why we must all be involved in this world-historical challenge to human and planetary survival.
Sign the petition HERE.
[Production team: Morgan Peterson and Herb Peterson in LA; Mary Beth Brangan and Jim Heddle somewhere in Northern California.]…..http://www.planetarianperspectives.net/?p=1076
China call for world action to stop Fukushima radiation discharge
TEPCO must not only compensate the loss of its domestic victims, but also provide the international community with a clear commitment.
The Pacific Ocean doesn’t belong to Japan, but is commonly owned by the international community, the environmental protection of which is fundamental to the safety and reproduction of human beings.
radioactive sewage discharge results must be published. China and the international community should demand that Japan reveal the results of objective scientific monitoring of the 11,500 tons of radioactive discharge over the past two years, and publish its scale, damage level, as well as a prevention and cure strategy.
World Must Act to Stop Fuksuhma Nuclear Discharge By Yu Zhirong (HK Edition) http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2013-10/05/content_17010033.htm The devastating earthquake in northeastern Japan two years ago caused a nuclear leak at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. In July 2012, Alaskan seals exhibited inexplicable hemorrhage phenomena and signs of immunity deficiency. Scientists suspected the condition had something to do with Japan’s discharge of nuclear sewage, or radioactive water, into the Pacific Ocean. However, no evidence has yet confirmed that suspicion. The Japanese government has proposed to take measures to clean up the post-disaster nuclear waste by the end of March 2014. To this point, they have been simply dumping it into the sea.
On Aug 7, 2013, Japan’s Nuclear Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters said the daily discharge into the sea was nearly 300 tons. Research analysis shows that underground water is polluted and therefore radioactive discharge cannot be avoided. Currently, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) are considering pumping underground water into the area to reduce the discharge. By September 2014, the volume of pumped sewage will be 40,000 tons.
Estimates show that the daily outflow of underground water around Fukushima’s four nuclear units is 1,000 tons, of which 400 tons flows under the reactors. Of the other 600 tons, 300 tons flows through tunnels between the plants, polluted by the highly concentrated sewage, and then flows into the sea. The remaining 300 tons runs into the sea without pollution. TEPCO is trying to prevent more polluted water reaching the sea, via a new relief project, to reduce daily discharge to 60 tons.
Since the severity of the issue continues, China, along with the international community, must propose the strongest opposition to the Japanese government’s irresponsible activities. At the same time, they must take positive measures to prevent pollution. Here are three suggestions. Continue reading
Uranium costing more to produce than its sale price: industry’ s hopes hinge on Japan nuclear restart
“Due to the huge impact of reduced demand from Japan, the reactor-restart story is likely to continue to be the main factor affecting the spot uranium price over the coming few months,
No Nukes, No Uranium BARRON’s By RHIANNON HOYLE 6 Oct 13 Japan’s 2011 disaster at Fukushima still weighs on national energy policies worldwide, as well as the commodity’s price. DJ-AIG Commodity Indexes Uranium prices are edging higher after a recent plunge to nearly eight-year lows, but that’s no reason for investors to pile in.
Demand for the nuclear fuel isn’t ramping up as expected. Japan, a major uranium user, has been slow to restart nuclear operations after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and stockpiles of U3O8—the most actively traded compound of uranium—are growing.
Prices were down 22% when they hit their nadir last month. At $34 a pound, the commodity was worth just half what it had traded for prior to Fukushima.
Uranium is now trading at about $35 a pound as prices gravitate back toward the material’s production cost, which some analysts estimate to be $40 a pound. Continue reading
International solar car race in Northern Territory
World Solar Challenge 2013 Kicks Off by Energy Matters, 6 Oct 13 38 teams commenced the 3,000 kilometre 2013 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Darwin on Sunday.
Australian solar car ‘Arrow 1’ from Queensland took pole position honours in the Elite Challenger Class and Team Eindhoven from the Netherlands and their family four-seater car ‘Stella‘ led the Cruiser Class.
Team Arrow had reached speeds of 120km/hr in track testing at Hidden Valley in the lead up to the event. Arrow 1 is being driven by Former Formula Ford race car driver Chris Ahern… ..http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3970
South Australian Govt’s plan to keep ‘unsuitable’ people out of body governng Aborignal lands.
New APY rules to vet ‘unsuitable people ‘http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/politics-news/new-apy-rules-to-vet-unsuitable-people/story-fn59nqld-1226733838565 SARAH MARTIN OCTOBER 07, 2013 NEW rules for the executive body that governs South Australia’s troubled northern Aboriginal Lands are being considered by the state Labor government, as it embarks on a review of the APY Land Rights Act.
The terms of reference for the review, obtained by The Australian, show that the government wants to prevent unsuitable people being appointed to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands executive through a new “fit and proper person” test.
“The criteria would cover, but would not be limited to, demonstration of competency, experience, skills and ability, personal integrity, reputation, diligence, independence of mind, fairness and absence of convictions or civil liabilities,” the terms of reference say.
“To give confidence the nominees for election to the APY executive have the necessary skills, experience, ability and commitment to carry out the role, it is considered only fair and reasonable for some form of ‘fit and proper’ criteria to be applied.”………
Uniting Communities indigenous policy spokesman Jonathan Nicholls said he was concerned about the scope of the review.
“It is unlikely this review will do much to address the governance and capacity problems that have plagued the APY executive for a number of years.” http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/politics-news/new-apy-rules-to-vet-unsuitable-people/story-fn59nqld-1226733838565#sthash.WAfwHGWH.dpuf
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 