Antinuclear

Below the radar – nuclear and climate news

Radioactive Waste Court case.  The traditional Aboriginal owners of the Muckaty area in Northern Territory continue their 7 year battle against radioactive  waste dumping on their land.  Their legal case continues, with hearings in Tennant Creek, Melbourne, and now back to the Northern Territory.  The Government’s latest argument is that the radioactive trash dump can go ahead, even without the  consent of the Aboriginal owners.

Uranium – Energy Resources of Australia expects an even huger loss this year, but, despite that, AND its environmental failures, NT and Federal govts have approved a restart of Ranger uranium mine. Paladin Energy’s share price collapses.

Left wing Australians are enjoying the gaffes of our pugilistic Prime Minister Tony Abbott. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IaKVmkXuk He is off on a world jaunt, almost certain to embarrass himself and Australia.  However, it’s  a pity that:

• The Labor opposition keeps buying into the personal pugilism, instead of coming up with policies that are for the public good, and clearly different from the Abbott government’s.
• The media , like schoolkids watching  a playground fight, do not cover the policy issues, and what is really going on.

Abbott’s global tour:

• France. Apart from Abbott connecting up the war heroes with the carbon tax and Australia being “open for business’, it’s pretty clear that the D.Day ceremonies fit well into the building push for a glorious ANZAC Day centenary in 2015.   As one whose relatives did fight in WW2, one dying as result, I fear that it will turn out to be some sort of militaristic party – feeding in to Australia’s close role in USA’s military encirclement of China.
• Canada. Abbott will meet P.M. Stephen Harper. On nuclear issues, they will be unanimous, if discreet. Ontario ‘s elections loom, but a non issue  will be its planned nuclear power expansion. Both of Canada’s Liberal and Conservative parties are fans of the planned $25 billion expansion of nuclear power.  Not only is the uranium industry (though financially failing) important to Canada, but Canada is the hub of the push for a new nuclear gimmicky export, thorium reactors.  Propaganda for these has been successful in Australia, with backing from all sorts of influential people and organisations, especially in South Australia.  So it is likely that thorium nuclear reactors, and even Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) will be included in the government’s Energy White Paper – later this year.    Abbott and Harper are also in happy agreement that there should be no real action on Climate Change, and they both support the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)
• USA  Yes, the media is paying some attention to this one, since President Obama came out strongly for action on Climate Change. How will Tony Abbott wriggle out of this one?  It has importance for the G20 meeting in Brisbane in November. Abbott maintains that Climate Change will not be a G20 agenda item.  That is probably why Abbott may cancel planned meetings with the heads of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund – to avoid discussing that subject.

Renewable Energy.  Mainly more bad news for Australia, as the International Renewable Energy Agency reports that Australia could reach 50% renewable energy by 2030,  BUT, we’re actually going backwards instead.

June 9, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina reviews