 The Adani coal mine is the ‘Work Choices‘ of this generationSimon Black 5 November 2018, Australians know Adani doesn’t “stack up” environmentally or economically and it won’t stack up for the Morrison Government politically either. Independent Australia Simon Black reports. DESPITE BEING A MINE, not a policy, the seething rage we are seeing from the Australian population at the continued insistence at driving the Adani coal mine down our throats reminds me increasingly of the mood of late 2005. The Adani project is becoming a single thing that unifies people and embodies unfairness and contempt from politicians who insist they know better than their constituents and pander to big business at their expense, time and time again. Despite poll after poll after poll showing that the overwhelming majority of Australians do not want this destructive project, we are simply fobbed off and dismissed as not understanding how good it is going to be for us. And people are angry. Enraged. Furious. Adani has been caught polluting protected wetlands, possibly even doctoring reports, for which the Government aren’t so much slapping them with a piece of wet lettuce as they are waving the lettuce in a slightly menacing fashion, while furiously winking with one side of their face. They have been taken to court for polluting the Great Barrier Reef, they are being investigated for illegal drilling into groundwater at the mine site and their claims about job numbers have been rejected — by their own economist. Add that to a very long history of unsavoury behaviour and there is little wonder there is public outrage that this project is in danger of being forced upon Australians. News this week shows that Adani recognises this as well — and it’s trying to get the project moving before the election, in defiance of the will of the Australian people. It looks like they will do this by sneakily getting their foot in the door with a smaller and self-fundedversion to jump start this dangerous and irresponsible project. Something they have been forced to do because no financial institution both in Australia and overseas would touch it with a ten-foot pole. The multi-billion dollar multinational had resorted to begging the Federal Government for $1 billion on top of the royalty scheme it had already been granted, but that a massive public backlash left that dead in the water. Adani is going to put up its own money. In an Australian coal market that has, as another report that came out on the same day showed, peaked and is now in a state of ‘terminal long-term decline‘. And that’s the point. This is a last-ditch dash from a company who recognise all too well how publically toxic this project is. The Liberal Party were shown this in their humiliating defeat in the Wentworth by-election. Despite attempting to blame Malcolm Turnbull and dismissing Wentworth as an outlier, Dave Sharma couldn’t go anywhere without being hounded on climate change by Stop Adani forces. Annastacia Palaszczuk was reminded of that outrage as well when she tweeted in support of action on climate change — the issue that voters in Wentworth identified as their number one concern. Despite the issue swinging farther and farther away from her political opponents, it’s a no-brainer to know any tweet would be met with howls of outrage about Adani — which is exactly what happened. This pressure is only going to increase with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition this week releasing a tool to show exactly where local Labor representatives stand on the issue. This project is not only toxic, but it is also becoming a focal point for governments’ refusal to take action on climate change and ignoring the Australian people to pander to big coal companies. The Adani project cannot be allowed to go ahead. It is insanity incarnated and a nightmare for the region, the country, and the world. The mine will take unlimited groundwater and 12.5 billion litres of river water, while 57 per cent of Queensland is drought declared. The water plans from the company are grossly inadequate and the Federal and Queensland governments must stop them. The mine will fuel climate change and even the United Nations has urged us to reconsider. It all adds up to a putrid picture. The spills, the pollution, the water license, the history overseas, the fight against Indigenous land rights, the fake social accounts………https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-adani-coal-mine-is-the-work-choices-of-this-generation,12066 |
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To 6 November – Climate and Nuclear News – Australia
Some good news this week. A case of positive international co-operation! – the healing of the ozone layer. The rest of the climate news – not so good. Climate scientists have underestimated the rapid warming of the oceans. Climate change disruption of the jet stream is causing more extreme weather. A warning not to forget the message of UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – Climate Change: The Real World War.
International nuclear politics muddles along, – closer to the brink? North Korea warns it might return to developing nuclear weapons, if USA does not end sanctions. Donald Trump ready to reimpose all nuclear sanctions on Iran. A world on nuclear hair-trigger, if USA withdraws from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia?
Looking for expert information on nuclear matters? Go to the Nuclear Consulting Group.
AUSTRALIA
NUCLEAR. Australia’s Liberal Coalition government is frightened that nuclear waste dump would become an election issue. Labor must keep to its strong nuclear-free policy. A warning about the privatisation of the Federal government’s planned nuclear waste dump for South Australia. Despite South Australia’s renewable energy success, are the Liberals targetting S.A. again for an international nuclear trash dump? City of Sydney calls on Australian govt to sign up to the UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty.
CLIMATE. Kerryn Phelps confirmed as new independent MP: makes climate change action her first priority. Australian Conservation Foundation encourages all voters to recognise the coming CLIMATE ELECTION. Is this the Coalition swansong? Just one more coal plant for the road. The Adani coal mine doesn’t stack up environmentally, economically, or politically. The world does not need Australia’s ‘toxic’ coal –Christiana Figueres. Severe fire danger as heat hits New South Wales East coast.
RENEWABLE ENERGY. Nuclear and Coal Lobbyists be warned – Fair Dinkum Power is here! Clean Energy Finance Corporation marks year of record investment, as industry embraces clean energy. New South Wales government is preparing for a surge in renewable energy. NSW launches $20m battery round, to shift hospitals and schools to solar and storage. Queensland solar is booming and pushing down daytime electricity prices. Crookwell 2 wind farm opens, in win for local farmers and ACT power prices .
Aboriginal National Congress Criticises Indigenous Affairs Minister, Seeks Answers For Redirecting Funds.
A warning about the privatisation of the Federal government’s planned nuclear waste dump for South Australia
What ALSO really worries me is the fine print in the proposal ….the one which says that management of the dump is to be done by possibly ANSTO, or a government department , or a PRIVATE ENTITY! Read it – it is in the Fact Sheets!
Now that is a real worry – equally when Adi Paterson made comments about upgrading ANSTO in Sydney in the last week or so, again talking about Federal funding for it, or from a PRIVATE SOURCE……
So beware! Once this can of worms is unleashed, we in South Australia and Australia in fact may be getting more than we bargain for! And just like PRIVATIZATION we have seen in other sectors of our community, the management goes straight overseas into overseas hands!
Also remember private company TEPCO running the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Given many warnings about the possibility of a large tsunami possibility several years earlier and given ample time to build a levy wall to deal with it, Their answer “we are looking into it”. They never did it. And there are other safety problems with the reactor with respect to protocol and safety equipment which just wasn’t there, even though by regulation it should have been! The disastrous consequences of this coverup the Japanese people now wear as a result!
Ask anyone in the Kimba or Hawker communities who are pro for the dump and you will find that they haven’t read this at all, and mistakenly think that it is ALL under ANSTO and ANSTO is the managing entity!
Reread the name of the dump – NATIONAL nuclear waste facility – NATIONAL does not say ANSTO!! Even ANSTO itself may not be ANSTO if things are going the way it seems to be heading!
Kazzi Jai The only way to counter this, is for each state to deal with its own waste, and the Lucas Heights waste to remain on site, where we are continually told it is perfectly safe! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1021186047913052/
Global nuclear lobby should drop its climate change propaganda – pro nuclear expert advises
Steve Kidd, writing in a pro nuclear essay in Compelo Energy, 5 Nov 18, urges the global nuclear industry to improve its propaganda. He especially advises them to drop their argument about climate change!
“The climate change argument is where the industry is majoring its efforts. Industry bodies point out that some of the countries with the best records on carbon emissions use a combination of nuclear and renewables, while claiming that nuclear plants have avoided carbon dioxide emissions.
This is, at best, disingenuous. None of the nuclear reactors around the world were built to abate carbon. They were built for other reasons, such as energy security and economics. Admittedly, it was believed that their environmental impact would mainly be benign, but investments are made for what a technology does, rather than what it does not do. ”
Global nuclear industry white ants its way into “Clean” Energy Ministerial
USA – Canada – Japan – the ministerial nuclear suckers came out of the woodwork – Dan Brouillette, Kim Rudd, Masaki Ogushi, Rick Perry … and also Dr. Matar Al Neyadi, and Denis Janin, immediate past President of the International Youth Nuclear Congress, and who else – in this secretive nuclear white anting of the global movement?
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Countries Launch a Nuclear Innovation Initiative under the Clean Energy Ministerial NICE Future initiative will address improved power system integration through innovative, integrated, and advanced energy systems and applications, such as nuclear-renewable systems, combined uses of heat and power, hydrogen production, and industrial decarbonization. It will highlight the opportunities for nuclear energy technologies to reduce emissions and air pollution from power generation, industry, and end-use sectors. “I would like to acknowledge the countries and organizations that have joined the United States, Canada, and Japan in the creation and launch of the NICE Future initiative,” said Deputy Secretary Brouillette. “Secretary Rick Perry and I are quite proud of this initiative and the ambitious program it sets forth. Having nuclear included at the Clean Energy Ministerial will create greater global recognition of its many unique benefits.” Nuclear energy is an important contributor to global clean energy supply, both as a primary source of clean energy and by enabling other clean energy sources.
“Nuclear energy’s vitally important but under-recognized contributions to clean air are made even greater by constant innovation,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “The NICE Future initiative highlights these contributions by reimagining nuclear’s advanced uses and applications. Nuclear provides a cleaner, safer, more reliable, and more resilient energy supply for our world.” “Canada is excited to be a part of this initiative. Nuclear energy is already an important part of Canada’s energy mix and innovative nuclear technologies, including Small Modular Reactors, have a key role to play in the transition to a low-carbon economy” said Kim Rudd, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. “As a non-emitting source of energy, nuclear is, and will continue to be, an important part of our energy mix.” Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Masaki Ogushi stated, “I expect this initiative would bring the wisdom of the world on nuclear innovation together, and contribute to policy making for realizing clean energy systems that solve challenges in each country. Our aim is to promote nuclear innovation utilizing out-of-the-box ideas from the private sector, pursuing the development of reactors with new concepts, including harmonization with renewable energy, combined with enhanced safety, efficiency, and flexibility.” Several NICE Future initiative participants and stakeholders gathered on the sidelines of CEM9 for a launch event, moderated by Mr. Denis Janin, immediate past President of the International Youth Nuclear Congress….. Others noted nuclear energy’s strategic benefits. “Nuclear energy in the UAE plays a strategic role as a clean energy source that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector, diversify our energy portfolio, and is already creating highly-skilled employment opportunities which support long-term sustainability,” pointed out Dr. Matar Al Neyadi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ……… Countries participating in the NICE Future Initiative include the United States, Canada, Japan, Argentina, Poland, Romania, Russia, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. More countries have indicated strong interest. The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) have noted their interest and support for the initiative. The U.S. DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory will serve as an initiative operating agent. http://www.cleanenergyministerial.org/news-clean-energy-ministerial/countries-launch-nuclear-innovation-initiative-under-clean-energy |
New South Wales government is preparing for a surge in renewable energy
We want to do everything we can’: NSW readies for renewables surge, Brisbane Times, By Peter Hannam, 5 November 2018 New solar and wind farms being planned for NSW have twice the capacity of the state’s coal-fired power stations, prompting the state government to set aside $55 million to help smooth their introduction.As of October 29, NSW had 20,000 megawatts of generation capacity either approved or seeking planning approval, worth more than $27 billion in investment, according to government data.
Proposed solar plants accounted for 11,200MW, dwarfing wind farms with 5100MW, and the Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro of about 2000MW. Just 100MW involved coal, with the planned upgrade of AGL’s Bayswater power station.
Along with the new plants, some eight large-scale battery projects – all with solar farms – with more than 400MW-hours of capacity are also in the planning pipeline as the industry gears up for the bulge in variable energy sources.
The market, though, is going to need some near-term help to smooth the exit of most of the state’s existing power plants – particularly the 10,160MW of coal-fired power stations, said Amy Kean, director of the Energy Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies unit at the Department of Planning
To that end, the government last week revealed the first details of its $55 million Emerging Energy Program aimed at supporting a portfolio of nascent technologies that will be needed as 70 per cent of the state’s generation fleet retires by 2035.
“We’re trying to drive these technologies down the cost curve so they can then complement variable wind and solar technologies,” Ms Kean said.
The surge in renewable energy comes as the federal government has largely vacated the energy policy space after the demise of the Turnbull government’s National Energy Guarantee. The states are largely being left to press on with carbon reduction and other power sector goals.
“We want to do everything we can to unlock the expertise of the private sector to accelerate projects that deliver clean, reliable and affordable energy.”
Renewable energy could emerge as a key policy issue at next March’s state election. Adam Searle, Labor’s energy spokesman said his party planned to “have quite a lot more to say about it”, and that the ALP “will do more on new energy than Coalition parties”.
Solar catches up with windThe rapid advance and competitive nature of solar photovoltaic panels, meanwhile, has caught many by surprise. …….https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/we-want-to-do-everything-we-can-nsw-readies-for-renewables-surge-20181104-p50dw9.html
The Adani coal mine doesn’t stack up environmentally, economically, or politically
Climate change is now making things too hot for nuclear reactors to cope
The Climate’s Already Too Hot for Nuclear Power http://nukewatchinfo.org/the-climates-already-too-hot-for-nuclear-power/Fall Quarterly 2018 By John LaForge, Nukewatch
With the summer’s record high temp’s all over the world, Andy Rowell asked this pointed question in Oil Change International: “For the last decade the nuclear industry has been telling us it is the solution to climate change. But if their reactors can’t work in our rapidly warming world, are we just building a whole new generation of expensive white elephants?”
Indeed, Reuters reported Aug. 4 that Electricity de France (EDF) in Paris shut down four nuclear reactors at three sites due to the heat summer wave. EDF, the mostly government-owned utility, ordered the shut downs because the scorching summer heat that slammed Europe drastically raised temperatures in the Rhone and Rhine Rivers. Temperatures reached 98.6°F in the Rhone valley, home to 14 reactors. Highs in Spain and Portugal in early August hovered around 104°F and reached 116.6°F.
The warming of seawater caused by Europe’s heat wave forced Finland’s two Loviisa reactors, about 65 miles outside Helsinki, to reduce power in July, just as it did before, in 2010 and 2011, Reuters reported.
The July 2006 heat wave also forced European reactor operators to reduce or halt production due to dramatic increases in the temperature of river waters. The Guardian reported back then that Spain shut down its reactor on the River Ebro. Reactor operators in Germany also cut output then, and several German and French units were allowed to temporarily violate temperature limits on the hot water the reactors return to rivers.
Nuclear reactors exacerbate global warming In 2003, temperatures in French rivers reached record highs that also forced the temporary powering down of four reactors. France’s nuclear oversight authority then gave some reactor operators permission to return the river water at temperatures not normally allowed, a move that critics said would endanger fish and add to global warming.
Meanwhile, rising sea levels threaten to shutter one-out-of-four of the world’s 460 power reactors currently built on coastlines. John Vidal reports in the Aug. 21 edition of Hakai magazinethat experts have warned that even newly built seawalls may not provide sufficient protection. Vidal interviewed Pete Roche, a former adviser to the UK government and Greenpeace, who pointed out that the seawall at the $25-billion “Hinkley Point C” nuclear station being built in southwest England “does not adequately take into account sea-level rise due to climate change.”
“In fact,” Vidal reports, research by Ensia — a nonprofit environmental magazine published at the University of Minnesota — suggests that “at least 100 US, European, and Asian nuclear power stations built just a few meters above sea level could be threatened by serious flooding caused by accelerating sea-level rise and more frequent storm surges.”
The two St. Lucie reactors in Florida are among the US coastal nuclear sites considered most vulnerable to storm surges. While no US reactors have been “in imminent danger of a meltdown because of a storm surge,” Vidal notes, there have been many close calls. “Three US reactors were temporarily shut down because of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and a fourth, Oyster Creek in New Jersey, was put on alert when water levels rose dramatically, according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”
But the NRC is not concerned about storm surges. In August 2017, as Hurricane Harvey pummeled east Texas, environmental groups called for the immediate shutdown of the two South Texas Project reactors near Bay City. Instead, the twin, 42-year-old behemoths were kept running at full capacity throughout the disaster, the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the United States.
Sweden’s concerns over speed of corrosion of copper nuclear waste canisters
GDF Watch 4th Nov 2018 , The company responsible for delivering 
Sweden’s deep geological repository, SKB, is planning to subject their research into coppercorrosion to international peer review in the new year. SKB believe this is
the most transparent and open way in which to address concerns about the
contentious issue, which has held up final decision-making on the Swedish
national repository for higher activity radioactive waste.
geological disposal facility in Osthammar. However, the Court had concerns
about the speed at which copper canisters corrode and the potential
consequential environmental impact. Conflicting scientific evidence was
presented to the Court. The Court decided that this was something the
Swedish Government needed to consider further before any approval was given
to the planned radioactive waste disposal facility. The Swedish Government
asked SKB to provide additional information by 31 March 2019.
http://www.gdfwatch.org.uk/2018/11/04/sweden-copper-corrosion-update/
Rapid warming of the oceans
Oceans Are Warming Up Much Faster Than Previously Thought https://e360.yale.edu/digest/oceans-are-warming-up-much-faster-than-previously-thought The world’s oceans have soaked up much more excess heat in recent decades than scientists previously thought — as much as 60 percent more, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. The new research suggests the global could warm even faster in the coming decades than researchers originally predicted, The Washington Post reported.The researchers, led by geoscientist Laure Resplandy of Princeton University, found that oceans absorbed 13 zettajoules — a joule, the standard unit of energy, followed by 21 zeroes — of heat energy each year between 1991 and 2016. Based on these findings, they argue, nations must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent more than previously estimated if they hope to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.“Imagine if the ocean was only 30 feet deep,” Resplandy said in a statement. “Our data show that it would have warmed by 6.5 degrees C [11.7 degrees Fahrenheit] every decade since 1991. In comparison, the estimate of the last IPCC assessment report would correspond to a warming of only 4 degrees C [7.2 degrees F] every decade.”
Scientists have long struggled to quantify ocean warming before 2007 — the year that a network of robotic sensors known as Argo were deployed into the world’s oceans to track things like temperature and salinity. For pre-2007 data, the new research examined the volume of oxygen and carbon dioxide released from the oceans as they heated up, providing scientists an indicator for ocean temperature change.
“We thought that we got away with not a lot of warming in both the ocean and the atmosphere for the amount of CO2 that we emitted,” Resplandy told The Washington Post. “But we were wrong. The planet warmed more than we thought. It was hidden from us just because we didn’t sample it right. But it was there. It was in the ocean already.”
Some good news – the healing of the ozone layer
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6 Nov 18, The ozone layer is showing signs of continuing recovery from man-made damage and is likely to heal fully by 2060, new evidence shows.The measures taken to repair the damage will also have an important beneficial effect on climate change, as some of the gases that caused the ozone layer to thin and in places disappear also contribute to warming the atmosphere. Phasing them out could avoid as much as 0.5C (0.9F) of warming this century. Recovery from the holes and thinning caused by aerosol chemicals has progressed at a rate of about 1% to 3% a decade since 2000, meaning the ozone layer over the northern hemisphere and mid-latitudes should heal completely by the 2030s, if current rates are sustained. Over the southern hemisphere and in the more problematic polar regions, recovery will take longer, until the middle of this century in the former and about 2060 in the latter case. The results, presented on Monday in a four-year assessment of the health of the ozone layer, represent a rare instance of global environmental damage being repaired, and a victory for concerted global action by governments. Scientific evidence of the depletion of the ozone layer over the Antarctic was first presented in 1985, and in 1987 the Montreal protocol was signed, binding world governments to reduce and phase out the harmful chemicals identified as causing the problem. Ozone in the upper layers of the atmosphere protects the earth’s surface from most of the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. Without it, skin and eye damage can occur, and evidence suggests a rise in skin cancers associated with the thinning of the ozone layer. “The Montreal protocol is one of the most successful multilateral agreements in history for a reason,” said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment. “The careful mix of authoritative science and collaborative action that has defined the protocol for more than 30 years and was set to heal our ozone layer is precisely why the Kigali amendment holds such promise for climate action in future.” The Kigali amendment to the Montreal protocol, coming into effect at the start of next year, will help reduce future climate change, by targeting HFC gases, mostly used in refrigeration, which have a warming effect tens of thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, said: “Over the last three decades, the Montreal protocol has fulfilled its original objective to heal the ozone layer. But it didn’t stop there. Because CFCs and related gases are also super climate pollutants, phasing them out has reduced the climate problem by an amount that would have equalled the contribution of carbon dioxide today – more than half of all warming – with the Kigali amendment adding even more climate protection.” Until recently, most major sources of ozone-harming gases were thought to have been closed down, until studies showed sites in China where gases were still emerging. The Chinese government has pledged to find and close down these sites. |
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Night Sky 13 October – 25 November A Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition
Night Sky 13 October – 25 November here: bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au/exhibition/night-sky/ Night Sky documents the 2018 NAIDOC celebrations at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre which saw multi-media planetarium screenings and stargazing from the viewing platform with Penrith Observatory. The NAIDOC public programs included Indigenous Astronomy talks by local artist John South (Barkindji),
Astronomer & Science Communicator Kirsten Banks (Wiradjuri) and Aboriginal Cosmology expert Duane Hamacher.
The exhibition features photographs by young Aboriginal artists Rebecca Chatfield, Darcee Golian, Gemma Matheson, Nicholas Moyle, Alaura Neville and Mea-Mei Stanbury who participated in a night sky astrophotography course with Gary P. Hayes. Photographic documentation of the NAIDOC events by Ben Pearse and the documentary Star Stories of the Dreaming (2016) featuring Senior Euahlayi Law Man and elder Ghillar Michael Anderson will also be on view.
A Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition
Surge in renewables delivering cheaper power, says TAI report — RenewEconomy
As ScoMo sets off on the campaign trail, report says surge in wind and solar has seen NEM wholesale power prices peak, and go into a decline. Fair dinkum. The post Surge in renewables delivering cheaper power, says TAI report appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Surge in renewables delivering cheaper power, says TAI report — RenewEconomy
Crookwell 2 wind farm opens, in win for local farmers and ACT power prices — RenewEconomy
Crookwell wind farm opens in the heart of Angus Taylor’s electorate – but the energy minister, a long time anti-wind campaigner, did not attend the opening. The post Crookwell 2 wind farm opens, in win for local farmers and ACT power prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Crookwell 2 wind farm opens, in win for local farmers and ACT power prices — RenewEconomy
Know your NEM: Coal comfort for electricity prices? — RenewEconomy
Of all this week’s stats, the fall in the coal price really stood out. So what’s behind it, and what does it mean for Australia? The post Know your NEM: Coal comfort for electricity prices? appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Know your NEM: Coal comfort for electricity prices? — RenewEconomy
FRV’s Goonumbla solar farm lands deal with Snowy Hydro — RenewEconomy
Spanish renewable energy developer FRV says Goonumbla solar project in NSW was one of the eight winning bids in the tender held by Snowy Hydro. The post FRV’s Goonumbla solar farm lands deal with Snowy Hydro appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via FRV’s Goonumbla solar farm lands deal with Snowy Hydro — RenewEconomy
Antinuclear 