Uranium sales to Russia should be stopped
successive Australian governments have furthered the fiction that the Russian nuclear sector is secure and safe.
Australian Yellow cake fuels Ukrainian fires http://By Dave Sweeney , 6 Mar 14 As the deeply disturbing events unfolding in the Ukraine highlight troop mobilisations, sabre rattling and suppression of civilian critics are becoming the hallmarks of President Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Australia, along with most Western nations, has condemned the Russian escalation and called for restraint and dialogue. Such a call is important but needs to be accompanied by action to ensure it penetrates the thick walls of the Kremlin.
One clear and potent action that Australia could take to amplify our diplomatic dissent with the posturing of both the Red Army and the Black Sea fleet would be to halt our fledgling yellowcake trade with Russia…….. Continue reading
South Australian Election -Fisher Electoral Lobby gets no response from Liberals
No Contest in Fisher. 6th March 2014 Judging from the responses to a survey conducted by the Fisher Electoral Lobby, the contest for the seat of Fisher is a non-event. The sitting member Bob Such quickly responded to the questionnaire but after three weeks the Liberal Party candidate had not responded.
According to the spokesman for the Fisher Electoral Lobby, Dennis Matthews:
“It is inexplicable why the Liberal Party would smother the electorate of Fisher in posters yet not respond to a questionnaire from its constituents.”
The questions were fairly provocative and required that the candidates take a position on some contentious issues.
“Bob Such did not commit himself on some issues, claiming that there had not been sufficient debate about nuclear power or about an apology to Aboriginal People for past injustices, but at least he responded to all the questions” said Mr Matthews.
“Lack of accountability does not bode well for the electorate of Fisher.”
Wealthy individuals and groups fund climate denialism
How does conservative money work on climate change? Daniel Lippman, E&E reporter ClimateWire: Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Searching for a reason major climate change legislation hasn’t passed Congress yet?
You could do worse than start looking around Washington, D.C., with its endless think tanks, lobbying firms and trade groups, many of which have swung into action in the past to block such bills and stand ready to do so in the future.
A recent study published in the journal Climatic Change finds that much of the millions of dollars that funds these groups comes from secret sources, and a good portion of the rest is from publicity-shy conservative foundations and wealthy donors. Continue reading
Aboriginal forest management better than today’s efforts
Aboriginal Australians Managed the Forest Better than Europeans Care 2 by s.e. smith March 6, 2014 Australia’s notorious bushfires are often international news, but close to home, they’re less newsworthy than they are terrifying for Australians with painful memories of homes and lives lost. Much of the country can become a tinderbox thanks to its location and climate conditions — and don’t jump to assume climate change is only reason, because evidence suggests that fire has played a critical role in the ecological history of Australia for thousands of years……..
Australia has also been inhabited by humans for thousands of years. Continue reading
Problems and advantages of battery storage for solar energy
Will batteries blast-off or bomb?, Business Spectator, Tristan Edis 6 March 14 Battery energy storage is a hot topic for Climate Spectator readers. It seems there is an incredible appetite to learn what are the technological options and what are their costs and prospects.
This clearly indicates that there’s businesses who can see a market opportunity for batteries and are eagerly looking at how they can make the economics work………..
The beauty of many battery technologies such as lithium-ion is their compact size and portability, whereas you can’t move a pumped hydro power plant to wherever you need it. This allows batteries to offset the substantial costs of electricity network poles and wires, which make up more than half the cost of retail bills. Continue reading
Court recognised a harmful effect of electromagnetic radiation
1 year anniversary of the Australian Federal Court’s recognition of the detrimental effects of electromagnetic radiation February 27, 2014 by Stop Smart Meters Australia One year ago, 28 February 2013, the Australian Federal Court’s Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAAT) provided the first Australian legal recognition of the detrimental effects on humans of exposure to electromagnetic radiation, and its impact on the estimated 3-6% of the world population who suffer from the condition of Electromagnetic Hyper sensitivity (EHS).
The decision was met with no media fanfare in Australia where the condition is little-known, but one year out, its implications are spreading, like ripples on water, into our Australian community, and around the world………http://stopsmartmeters.com.au/2014/02/27/1-year-anniversary-of-the-australian-federal-courts-recognition-of-the-detrimental-effects-of-electromagnetic-radiation/
New business models needed for the renewable energy future
Clinging to and investing in antiquated business models should be neither rewarded nor celebrated. After all, it’s not as if their authors didn’t know big changes were coming. Ordering new coal plants in the face of renewable mandates and emerging carbon trading is akin to buying up carriage-makers just as automobiles began to relieve London’s horse-manure crisis.
Let’s Celebrate, Not Lament, Renewables’ Disruption of Electric Utilities Rocky Mountain Institute, 7 March 14 Renewables are making headway in Europe and bringing a low-carbon electricity system to the forefront. Renewables were 69 percent of new capacity added in 2012 in Europe and 49 percent in the United States. Not surprisingly, this threatens utilities unwilling to let go of outmoded business models and fossil-fuel generation.
Laments for Europe’s money-losing electric utilities were featured in an October 2013 cover story in the Economist. It said Europe’s top 20 energy utilities have lost over half their 2008 value, or a half-trillion Euros—more than Europe’s banks lost. Many utilities therefore want renewable competition slowed or stopped. Indeed, some European giants, like Germany’s E.ON and RWE, are in real trouble, and five of Europe’s top ten utilities have suffered credit downgrades. So have some U.S. utilities—most recently Jersey Central Power & Light and Potomac Electric Power Co.—from the likes of Fitch, Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, Credit Suisse, and others.
Should old, long- and often still-subsidized oligopolies be bailed out or shielded from competition when they bet against innovation and lose? Continue reading
Mining companies press for weakening of Aboriginal heritage regulations
Crackdown on ‘big business’ of heritage urged, ANNABEL HEPWORTH THE AUSTRALIAN, MARCH 06, 2014 THE Productivity Commission is urging reforms to Aboriginal cultural heritage processes amid complaints by miners that heritage surveys have become a “big business” costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
The landmark final report, made public yesterday, finds that the exploration sector has been hit by rising costs and falling productivity.
It calls for the reform of rules that are inhibiting exploration and imposing unnecessary burdens on explorers and sparked industry demands last night that more be done to cut the red and green tape that holds back projects.
The commission points to frequent complaints by explorers about the cost and time in doing cultural heritage surveys, which many believed had created an industry for archeologists, anthropologists and lawyers.
Different companies could be forced to resurvey the same site because of “inconsistent and inadequate” listing of heritage sites……….
Last night, the mining and petroleum industries rounded on the report to demand cuts to red and green tape. Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Brendan Pearson said industry wanted a one-stop shop approach to managing heritage.
The office of Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said the government would consider all the detail. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/crackdown-on-big-business-of-heritage-urged/story-fn59niix-1226846388770#
Falling demand for electricity hits Energy Australia
Falling Energy Demand Impacts One Of Australia’s Biggest Utilities Clean Technica 5 Mar 14, EnergyAustralia, one of the big three utilities in the country, has slumped to a loss of $350 million for calendar 2013 after slashing the value of its Yallourn brown coal generator, as well as some of its gas-fired generation assets. Continue reading
Queensland govt to axe popular solar feedin tariff
Queensland Government Announces Solar Feed In Tariff Changes by Energy Matters, 6 Mar 14, The Newman Government could experience a massive backlash after announcing the government mandated 8c per kilowatt hour solar feed in tariff component will be no more from July 1 for tens of thousands of Queensland solar households.
Ergon Energy customers will continue to receive a tariff paid by Ergon Retail; however Energex customers won’t and will need to negotiate a tariff with their electricity retailer. However, whether there will be any motivation for retailers to offer more than they currently are (6c – 8c in most cases) in addition to the current mandated amount remains to be seen as rates will not be regulated.
Solar households on the State’s previous 44c feed in tariff scheme will not be affected by the change.
While installing solar power will still be a solid investment post-June; the loss of the 8c component and leaving Queensland solar owners at the mercy of negotiating with electricity retailers has come as a shock and is not sitting well with many.
“Queensland is at risk of losing its reputation as the Sunshine State. Newman is bowing to big energy companies and ignoring the voices of the Queensland people,” said Lindsay Soutar; National Director of Solar Citizens.
“Not only is this short sighted for Queensland’s energy future, it’s short-sighted for Newman’s political future, as well.”
Solar Citizens has launched an online petition demanding the Newman Government reverse the decision. The group is encouraging all current and future solar owners throughout Australia to sign it and take a stand for solar in Queensland.
After hearing news of the announcement, Electrical Trades Union state organiser Stuart Traill reportedly stated the LNP has “a pathological hatred of renewable energy“.
The Newman Government certainly appears to be no fan of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target either; even though the RET provides many benefits to the wider community. Energy and Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle enthusiastically embraced news last month that the Renewable Energy Target review had commenced – a review that some feel has been rigged from the get-go to twist a knife that has already been sunk into the sector’s back. ……http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 