Antinuclear

Australian nuclear and climate news – this week

Future Fund invests in nuclear weapons, confirmed by  Finance Minister Mathias Cormann

Coal Seam gas drilling by US company Halliburton is using radioactive  CS-137, but this is not disclosed in the CSG projects’ Review of Environment Factors (REF) and Environmental Impact Statements, nor does it appear by name in Materials Safety Data Sheets.

Uranium industry – lots of hype about Japan deciding to restart nuclear reactors, BUT analysts warn that a small recovery in uranium price is a “dead cat bounce”   Australian uranium miner Paladin continues its downward plunge. Sales to India are not imminent. Indeed Tony Abbott suggests that the trade deal with India might be ready “by the end of next year’ 

Aboriginal Jeffrey Lee, who donated all his land to Kakadu National Park, knocking back $millions, in order to stop uranium mining on his land at Koongarra, has still not received the house promised to him by the Australian government

Victorian election. Lacklustre politics from the major parties, but especially by the reigning Coalition, as Victoria is found to have, of all the States, the worst renewable energy policy environment. ACT and South Australia are way ahead.

Australian Government embarrasses us all, with a chorus of criticism for President Obama. Latest from Trade Minister Andrew Robb -who announced that President Obama’s statement about climate change and coral reefs was “misinformed and unnecessary”.  Meanwhile Prime Minister Tony Abbott cheerfully reassured Australians about the coming hot summer (nothing to do with climate change)

Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently paid lip service to climate change.  (Ironically, he was lecturing  French President Hollande whose climate and renewable policies are the complete opposite of Abbott’s)     Still, we should pay attention, as Tony Abbott is sure to very slowly come around to being a believer in climate change action.  Abbott, being in the pocket of the polluting industries, has to keep suppressing ( through uncertainty) renewable energy ,and supporting coal –  until (a) the coal industry eventually collapses, and (b) Australia has lost all opportunity to have  a renewable energy technology export market.  THEN, Abbott will suddenly discover  the climate change problem, and its “low carbon” solution – nuclear energy.  (Look out for those tell-tale weasel words – “low carbon”)  Treasurer Joe Hockey is already touting this, despite his disbelief in climate change)

November 24, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina reviews