to December 12 – Climate and Nuclear News
William Perry, formerly of the Pentagon, and former U.S. Secretary for Defense, is renowned for his work aimed at limiting nuclear weapons, and warning the world of the great threat of nuclear war.
But now, even Perry is recognising that, in some ways, climate change is an even greater existential threat to the world. He points out that nuclear catastrophe can happen quickly, but that it’s possible to prevent it. But climate change is happening slowly, inexorably, and could be irreversible.
He’s convinced me, and I had always thought that nuclear disaster was the most important danger.
With that new realisation in mind, I’m seeing the events in Poland this week – the COP24 UN Conference on Climate Change, with a more acute interest. This international meeting comes right after the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
AUSTRALIA
CLIMATE CHANGE. Australia’s ambassador for environment, Patrick Suckling, ridiculed as he joins USA pro coal panel in Poland.
No Australian policy on climate change as Melissa Price, Minister For Coal, heads off to U.N. climate talks. Australia quietly sabotages UN climate change message, in Poland. Dirty tricks in Poland: getting away with no reduction in greenhouse emissions. Labor backs Greens plan to block Coalition from underwriting coal power . Schoolchildren at UN climate summit, including Toby Thorpe from Tasmania. Students left hanging during Canberra trip to confront Morrison on climate change.
Students lead anti-Adani protests, vow to remove Liberal Party from power. Nationwide protests against Adani coal mine. Legal challenge against Adani coal mine plan, over water use.
Northern Territory – legal case over climate change. Queensland Supreme Court hearing Big Coal’s case aimed to shut down climate activism.
Climate change now brings bushfires to Australia’s Northern rainforests. Increased risk of bushfires in Tasmania. Evacuation orders in place as Little River grass fire burns out of control.
Health risks due to high salt content in water, in a drought town.
NUCLEAR.
- Will Scott Morrison drop support for the Iran nuclear deal, in order to curry favour with Donald Trump?
- The choice of Maralinga as nuclear bomb site – and the effects on Aboriginal people.
- Cost of rehabilitating Ranger uranium mine.
- ABC report- Kim Carr says that Lucas Heights getting full of nuclear waste: the evidence contradicts him. Bushfires near Kimba, proposed site for nuclear waste dump.
Lynas’s problem of radioactive wastes – might send them to Australia? Malaysia tells Lynas to remove rare earths radioactive waste.
RENEWABLE ENERGY Why South Australia energy transition is seen as model of success around the world. Australia in midst of $20 billion wind and solar investment boom . The technology, and new thinking, needed for 100 per cent renewable grid . Electric cars, and the hazards of rare earths used in them. The electric-car revolution is here, but is that a good thing for the environment?
Fabricated media attacks on Julian Assange. The article that a Fairfax journalist didn’t want to write, about Julian Assange. Rallies will demand that Australia insists on Julian Assange’s safe departure from UK.
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Do corporations have a legal right to destroy the planet’s ecosystem?
The worst performing countries for climate action- USA and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, the US, Kuwait and Russia tried to erase meaning of UN’s report on the impacts of 1.5C warming. Coal lobby is prominent at COP24 U.N climate change conference. Climate denialist group held fringe meeting in Poland, banning access by environmental reporter.
New nuclear power plants, prolong existing ones – to solve global warming?
A wave of change is coming to our planet’s water resources.
Energy efficiency the starting point for effective climate policies.
Assessing the effects of planetary electromagnetic pollution.
Australia’s ambassador for environment, Patrick Suckling ridiculed as he joins USA pro coal panel in Poland
A Trump administration presentation extolling the virtues of fossil fuels at the UN climate talks in Poland has been met with guffaws of laughter and chants of “Shame on you”.Monday’s protest came during a panel discussion by the official US delegation, which used its only public appearance to promote the “unapologetic utilisation” of coal, oil and gas. Although these industries are the main source of the carbon emissions that are causing global warming, the speakers boasted the US would expand production for the sake of global energy security and planned a new fleet of coal plants with technology it hoped to export to other countries.
The event featured prominent cheerleaders for fossil fuels and nuclear power, Continue reading
USA and Saudi Arabia the worst at curbing climate change (Australia’s pretty bad, too)
Other nations at the bottom of the list included Iran, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Russia, Turkey and Japan.
 US, Saudi Arabia back-of-the-pack on curbing climate change, Researchers have identified the United States and Saudi Arabia as the climate change laggards. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/us-saudi-arabia-back-of-the-pack-on-curbing-climate-changeThe United States and Saudi Arabia rank last when it comes to curbing climate change among the 56 nations accounting for 90 percent of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, researchers said Monday.A large number of laggards means the world is dangerously off-track when it comes to slashing the carbon pollution that has already amplified droughts, flooding and deadly heatwaves worldwide, they reported on the margins of UN climate talks in Katowice, Poland.
Only a few countries have started to implement strategies to limit global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit),” the cornerstone target of the 2015 Paris climate treaty, according to NewClimate Institute and Germanwatch, an NGO. Most governments “lack the political will to phase out fossil fuels with the necessary speed.” Continue reading |
Mark Jacobson evaluates nuclear power as a solution to climate change
Evaluation of Nuclear Power as a Proposed Solution to 
Global Warming, Air Pollution, and Energy Security In 100% Clean, Renewable Energy and Storage for Everything. Textbook in Preparation Mark Z. Jacobson December 10, 2018 Contact: Jacobson@stanford.edu; Twitter @mzjacobsonFrance: government report finds new nuclear power plants uneconomical
Building new nuclear plants in France uneconomical -environment agency https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL8N1YF5HCGeert De Clercq, DECEMBER 11, 2018
State environment agency contradicts Macron on new nuclear
* New nuclear reactors would be structurally loss-making
* Renewables could account for 85 pct of power mix by 2050.
Building new nuclear reactors in France would not be economical, state environment agency ADEME said in a study on Monday, contradicting the government’s long-term energy strategy as well as state-owned utility EDF’s investment plans.
In a speech last month, President Emmanuel Macron said nuclear energy would remain a promising technology for producing low-cost, low-carbon energy and that EDF’s EPR reactor model should be part of future energy options.
Macron has also asked EDF to draw up a plan for building new reactors with a view to making a decision about nuclear in 2021
Two EPR reactors under construction in France and Finland are years behind schedule and billions of euros over budget.
“The development of an EPR-based nuclear industry would not be competitive,” ADEME said, adding that new nuclear plants would be structurally loss-making. bit.ly/2GlEbcT
Building a single EPR in 2030 would require 4 to 6 billion euros of subsidies, while building a fleet of 15 with a total capacity of 24 gigawatt-hour by 2060 would cost the state 39 billion euros, despite economies of scale that could bring down the EPR costs to 70 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh), ADEME said.
Renewables costs could fall to between 32 and 80 euros/MWh, depending on the technology, by 2060.
But extending the existing fleet too long, while also building new EPRs, would lead to overcapacity, compromising returns on all generation assets, including renewables.
EDF – which generates about 75 percent of French electricity with 58 nuclear reactors – declined to comment.
The ADEME report, which studied energy mix scenarios for 2020-2060, said renewables could account for 85 percent of power generation by 2050 and more than 95 percent by 2060, except if the government pushes through the EPR option anyway.
The gradual increase of renewables capacity could reduce the pre-tax electricity cost for consumers – including generation, grids and storage – to about 90 euros per MWh, compared to nearly 100 euros today, ADEME said.
ADEME director Arnaud Leroy, appointed in February, helped write the energy chapter of Macron’s election programme and was a spokesman for his campaign, but the agency is independent and earlier studies have also contradicted government energy policy.
In 2015, a ADEME study suggesting that France could switch to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 at a cost similar to sticking with nuclear was barred from publication for months by the government. reut.rs/2RLGKG8 (Reporting by Geert De Clercq; editing by David Evans)
Australia quietly sabotages UN climate change message, in Poland
Australia’s silence during climate change debate shocks COP24 delegates, Guardian, Ben Doherty in Katowice, Poland@bendohertycorro, Mon 10 Dec 2018
Country accused of tacitly supporting oil allies’ rejection of the latest science As four of the world’s largest oil and gas producers blocked UN climate talks from “welcoming” a key scientific report on global warming, Australia’s silence during a key debate is being viewed as tacit support for the four oil allies: the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait.
The end of the first week of the UN climate talks – known as COP24 – in Katowice, Poland, has been mired by protracted debate over whether the conference should “welcome” or “note” a key report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Negotiators spent two and a half hours trying to hammer out a compromise without success.
The apparently minor semantic debate has significant consequences, and the deadlock ensures the debate will spill into the second critical week of negotiations, with key government ministers set to arrive in Katowice.
Most of the world’s countries spoke out in fierce opposition to the oil allies’ position. The push to adopt the wording “welcome” was led by the Maldives, leader of the alliance of small island states, of which Australia’s Pacific island neighbours are members.
They were backed by a broad swathe of support, including from the EU, the bloc of 47 least developed countries, the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean, African, American and European nations, and Pacific countries such as the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu.
Australia did not speak during the at-times heated debate, a silence noted by many countries on the floor of the conference, Dr Bill Hare, the managing director of Climate Analytics and a lead author on previous IPCC reports, told Guardian Australia.
“Australia’s silence in the face of this attack yesterday shocked many countries and is widely seen as de facto support for the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait’s refusal to welcome the IPCC report,” Hare said.
Richie Merzian, climate and energy program director at the Australia Institute, said widespread goodwill across the Katowice talks was being undermined by “a handful of countries” trying to disconnect the science and urgency from the implementation of the Paris agreement.
“It is disappointing but not surprising that Australia kept its head down during the debate … by remaining silent and not putting a position forward, Australia has tacitly supported the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia’s rejection of the latest science on climate change.”
Merzian said Australia’s regional neighbours, including New Zealand and Pacific islands, had voiced strong support for the IPCC’s report, which was a key outcome of the Paris agreement.
“A number of delegates privately shared their frustration that countries like Australia stood on the sidelines while Trump’s, Putin’s and King Salman’s representatives laid waste to the fundamental climate science.”
Hare said the interests of the fossil fuel industry were seeking to thwart the conference’s drive towards larger emissions cuts.
“The fossil fuel interest – coal, oil and gas – campaign against the IPCC 1.5 report and science continues to play out in the climate talks, but even those countries [opposing welcoming the report] are being hit by the impacts of only one degree of warming.
“The big challenge now is for the Polish presidency to set aside its obsession with coal, get out of the way and allow full acknowledgement of the IPCC 1.5C report, and its implications for increasing the ambition of all countries, in the conclusion of COP24 later this week.”
Australia’s environment minister, Melissa Price, arrived in Katowice on Sunday, with negotiations set to resume Monday morning……..
Australia’s emissions, seasonally adjusted, increased 1.3% over the past quarter. Excluding emissions from land use, land use change and forestry (for which the calculations are controversial), they are at a record high. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/10/australias-silence-during-climate-change-debate-shocks-cop24-delegate
Australia’s dirty tricks in Poland: getting away with no reduction in greenhouse emissions
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‘Fake action’: Australia’s secret path to hitting Paris climate goals, Brisbane Times, By Peter Hannam,– 10 December 2018 Australia could use a little-known loophole to help meet up to half its Paris climate commitments in a move that analysts warn could undermine the global accord. Neither Environment Minister Melissa Price nor Labor will rule out counting Australia’s expected credits from beating its 2020 goal under the soon-to-be-superseded Kyoto Protocol against its 2030 Paris pledge. The analysts say such a move by Australia would encourage other nations to follow suit. One ex-member of Australia’s negotiating team said the government had considered using the credits for some time even though it went against the spirit of the Paris accord signed in 2015. While not formally on the agenda at the current climate talks in Poland, the issue of Kyoto credits is expected to be discussed in coming days. Continue reading |
Germany: low on sunshine, high on cheap electricity from solar power
 Germany Works (accessed) 9th Dec 2018, Germany has belied its status as a country with the fewest hours of sunshine in the world to become one of the planet’s largest solar power producers.In 2017, Germany ranked fourth globally and accounted for about 10 per cent of the global installed capacity, according to the International Energy Agency. In 2017, Germany ranked fourth globally and accounted for about 10 per cent of the global installed capacity, according to the International Energy Agency.
This has been achieved by 1.7 million small-scale solar panel operators rather than by big, centralised power producers. These operators produced 9.6 per cent of Germany’s net energy production in the first nine months of 2018, according to research institute Fraunhofer ISE. Further, solar power has become the cheapest mode of power generation in Germany, according to Fraunhofer ISE, which says that equipment and installation costs fell by 75 per cent between 2006 and 2017.
https://germanyworks.ft.com/energy/german-solar-power-is-a-sunrise-market/ |
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Scotland’s record electricity production in November, from wind energy
WIND output in Scotland has broken through the 100% threshold for the first
time with 109% of total electricity demand being met from renewables, according to new data. Figures from Weather Energy, part of a wider European project, show electricity generated by wind in November was enough to power nearly 6 million homes – a new record for Scotland.
In another milestone, wind production outstripped total electricity demand on 20 out of 30 days. Gina Hanrahan, head of policy at environmental group WWF Scotland, welcomed the contribution made by wind: “Wind power breaking through the magic 100% threshold is truly momentous. For months output has flirted around the 97% mark, so it’s fantastic to reach this milestone. “It’s also worth noting that 20 out of 30 days wind production outstripped demand.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/17286749.scottish-wind-power-output-breaks-100-output-milestone/
Health risks due to high salt content in water, in a drought town
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Health expert warns residents are at risk from high sodium in water in drought-stricken NSW town of Walgett, ABC News, By Rachel Carbonell, National Regional Reporting Team, Jessie Davies and Danielle Bonica, 10 Dec 18, Walgett has always been a river town, perched near the junction of the Barwon and the Namoi rivers.But with the drought biting hard, the water from those rivers isn’t making it to this northern New South Wales town.
With nothing to pump from the local weir, Walgett is the latest town forced to go underground for water, a move that health experts say could have potentially serious health implications. Many locals are worried the emergency supply of bore water is damaging their health. Dharriwaa Elder, Thomas Morgan, said the water was no good for drinking. “Too much salt in it,” he said. “The kids, my grandkids, they’re starting to spit it out, they don’t like it.” Continue reading |
A wave of change is coming to our planet’s water resources
Thanks to climate change, Earth’s freshwater supplies will never be the same again, Science News for Students, BETH GEIGER, DEC 6, 2018 This is the fourth in a 10-part series about the ongoing global impacts of climate change. These stories will look at the current effects of a changing planet, what the emerging science suggests is behind those changes and what we all can do to adapt to them.
Water world Our cool blue planet is covered in water. Just 2.5 percent of that water, however, is fresh. Of that, only about one third is liquid. The rest is locked up as ice.
That isn’t much freshwater. Yet we depend on it for everything. In the United States, each person uses an average of 340 liters (90 gallons) per day at home. And that doesn’t include the water needed to grow our food or manufacture everything from clothes to cars to cell phones. It takes 3,400 liters (900 gallons) just to make one pair of jeans.
As climate changes, though, so does how much water is available. Water, climate and weather are connected in a never-ending loop called the water cycle. And like any natural system, change one part of it — whether it’s temperature, soil moisture or even how many trees are in a region — and everything else changes, too. Continue reading
Australia in midst of $20 billion wind and solar investment boom — RenewEconomy
There are $20 billion of wind, solar and storage projects currently underway in Australia, although the future looks less rosy. The post Australia in midst of $20 billion wind and solar investment boom appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Australia in midst of $20 billion wind and solar investment boom — RenewEconomy
The technology, and new thinking, needed for 100 per cent renewable grid — RenewEconomy
We already much have the technology we need for 100 per cent renewable energy. We just need to think differently about how we produce and consume electricity. The post The technology, and new thinking, needed for 100 per cent renewable grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via The technology, and new thinking, needed for 100 per cent renewable grid — RenewEconomy
Gupta doubles down on green industrial plans for Whyalla, powered by cheap renewables — RenewEconomy
Steel magnate unveils more sensational details of Whyalla’s renewable powered industrial revolution, including plans for an additional steel plant – “one of world’s biggest.” The post Gupta doubles down on green industrial plans for Whyalla, powered by cheap renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Gupta doubles down on green industrial plans for Whyalla, powered by cheap renewables — RenewEconomy
Rooftop solar could supply 15% of Australian demand by 2023 — RenewEconomy
Study shows contribution to grid from Australia’s rooftop solar systems up 33% over 2018. At this rate, it could supply 14% of NEM demand within 5 years. The post Rooftop solar could supply 15% of Australian demand by 2023 appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Rooftop solar could supply 15% of Australian demand by 2023 — RenewEconomy
