Duplicity of the Australian government on nuclear waste dump (“Temporary” means “Indefinite”
Susan Craig Fight To Stop Nuclear Waste Dump In Flinders Ranges SA, 10 May 19,
I wonder how they will feel if one of their children/grandchildren become contaminated in the future due to lack of duty of care to their constituents that voted them in. This reads a lack of care, lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation and a lack of understanding of the time frame.
Kazzi Jai
Oh, they will continue to promise “the world” if they can manage to SHAFT the NUCLEAR WASTE ONTO SOUTH AUSTRALIA, SO IT BECOMES SOLELY SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S PROBLEM!!
NO MEANS NO!
Lucas Heights is the First to say Not in My Backyard…and they generate over 90% of the non-mining nuclear waste!
They generate it – their problem – particularly after THEY decided to build OPAL – which we did not really need as we had already shown we could access imported isotopes when the reactor was down for months at a time, and our usage has not increased since that time, but in fact decreased!
According to Adi Paterson at Budget Estimates 2017, Australian hospitals use 28% medical isotopes and rest – 72% – are exported overseas (2017 figures).
And they now intend ramping up production from 550,000 doses per annum to 10 million doses per annum – to become one of the leaders in export of medical isotopes!!
Leave the waste there on site at Lucas Heights – they have ample space to accomodate it – they are licenced for many decades yet to hold it – it is safe there, monitored professionally there, and it is secure there. That is the way the world is now heading with nuclear waste – storing it close to the site it is generated – until a solution can be found for dealing with it properly once and for all, which does not involve burying it and effectively abandoning it – which means it remains a liability for future generations to deal with!
Noel Wauchope A glaring example of the duplicity which pervades this entire nuclear lobby push . It is surely aimed at making South Australia a “nuclear hub” for the world. This whole crooked enterprise will make a few individuals rich and famous, while ensuring South Australia a prominent place in radioactively poisoning the planet. more https://www.facebook.com/groups/344452605899556/
Federal election 2019: Ex-Liberal leader John Hewson endorses South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young
Federal election 2019: Ex-Liberal leader John Hewson endorses SA …
At last – HENRY COX, a Senate Candidate with the guts to fight the nuclear waste dump plan !
Confident Clive Palmer predicts tax-payer funding for nuclear power
The Australian Tribune 10 May 19, “……………What’s needed for Palmer to win Nuclear Project?
Mr Palmer is confident that his party could hold the balance of power in the senate, which would guarantee the go ahead of the project.
‘We will need about five to six seats and our polling is showing we will win five to six seats pretty easily and we should be able to win more,’ he said.
‘Australia has had nuclear reactors for 50 years in Lucas Heights in the middle of Sydney.
‘There are no safety issues there, they operate every day and they’re still there.’
Mr Palmer is calling for the federal government to fund the power plant, using the Commonwealth government’s previous handling of steelworks as an example.
‘The Commonwealth government in 1913 provided a guaranteed establishment to SteelWorks in Whyalla and they can do it again,’ Senator Palmer said. https://www.theaustraliantribune.com.au/2019/05/palmers-case-for-nuclear-power/
Bill Shorten urged to declare climate emergency if Labor wins
Peter Garrett urges Bill Shorten to declare climate emergency if Labor wins
Former environment minister calls for creation of ‘war’ cabinet committee to plot transition to zero carbon, Guardian, Katharine Murphy Political editor@murpharoo 9 May 2019 The former environment minister Peter Garrett has urged an incoming Labor government to convene a climate emergency summit to plot a transition to zero carbon, and create a super department aligned to Treasury, like the Department of Post War Reconstruction after the second world war, to implement the transition…….
Climate change still key in election social media
Climate change still key in election social media, SBS, 11 May 19, Australians were keen to talk about climate change and civil rights on social media in the fourth week of the election campaign.Climate change has continued to feature prominently in Facebook hashtags in posts about the federal election.
But data provided by the platform shows civil rights were discussed more heavily in the fourth week of the election campaign.
The hashtags #stopadani and #climateelection were among the top 10 used on Facebook for the fourth week running, as #religiousfreedoms, #freespeech grew in popularity…… https://www.sbs.com.au/news/climate-change-still-key-in-election-social-media
$571 billion loss by 2030 estimated for Australian property values due to climate change
Climate change could slash $571b from property values, study warns, ABC, 10 May 19,
Key points:
- The Climate Council estimates Australian real estate will lose $571b, or almost 9pc, of its value by 2030
- The losses will be concentrated amongst 5-6pc of property owners, with many properties virtually uninsurable
- The report estimates $4 trillion could be wiped off economic growth over the next 80 years if carbon emissions do not fall
The research estimates residential property value losses of $571 billion by 2030 related to increased extreme weather events, inundation of some low-lying coastal properties and higher insurance premiums.
That would wipe approximately 9 per cent of the nation’s total residential property value — about as much as has been lost so far in the current property downturn, which is on track to be the worst in Australia’s recent history.
However, these losses would not be evenly spread, as an estimated 5-6 per cent of property owners bear the brunt of climate change risks.
As insurance companies reshape their risk strategies to manage extreme weather events, the report predicts, the cost of insuring properties — particularly those on the coast — could become unaffordable for one in 19 owners, who would have to pay annual premiums equivalent to 1 per cent of their property value.
A recent study by the Actuaries Institute — actuaries are the statisticians who calculate risk for insurers — warns that as many as one in 10 properties could become uninsurable by the end of this century due to climate change.
Climate risk expert and report author Karl Mallon warned insurance companies were constantly updating their risk strategies, and could hike premiums to deal with extreme events such as rising sea levels, heatwaves and floods.
“Increasingly, Australians are also going to struggle to pay for home insurance. On current trends, by 2030 one in every 19 property owners faces the prospect of insurance premiums that will be effectively unaffordable,” Dr Mallon said.
Even for Australians who can afford to pay, general insurance currently does not cover damage from coastal inundation and erosion — events which are likely to become more common because of climate change.”
‘There are real costs of failing to act’
The report also warns $4 trillion could be wiped off economic growth over the next 80 years if carbon emissions do not fall.
Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie told The World Today both major parties needed to confront climate change with policies that showed political will……..
The new report, Compound Costs, says coastal areas are likely to be hit hardest, and highly populated areas such as the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast and Melbourne are all vulnerable. ……
Climate an election issue…..
The Climate Council research follows warnings from the Reserve Bank and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority that climate change poses serious economic risks and that companies need to disclose their exposures to investors.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-09/climate-change-could-wipe-571b-off-property-values/11096768
Crustaceans at the bottom of the ocean are eating radioactive carbon from nuclear bomb tests
Deep ocean animals are eating radioactive carbon from nuclear bomb tests, Earth.com, By Kay Vandette ,,10 May 19, A new study has revealed that even the most remote and deep regions on Earth are not isolated from human activities. According to the research, radioactive carbon leftover from nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s and 1960s has made its way to the bottom of the ocean.
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Melting Glaciers Could Unleash Radioactive Fallout
The glacier now ends more than a mile farther up the mountain, and they are melting elsewhere around the world too.
This scary scenario of our nuclear legacy was explored by an international team of scientists who studied the spread of radioactive contaminants in Arctic glaciers throughout Sweden, Iceland, Greenland, the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard, the European Alps, the Caucasus, British Columbia, and Antarctica. The researchers shared their results at the 2019 General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) in Vienna.
It found man made radioactive material at all 17 survey sites, often at concentrations at least 10 times higher than levels elsewhere. “They are some of the highest levels you see in the environment outside nuclear exclusion zones,” said Caroline Clason
Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) were detected these sites. Radioactive material was found embedded within ice surface sediments called “cryoconite,” and at concentration levels ten times greater than the surrounding environment.“ They are some of the highest levels you see in the environment outside nuclear exclusion zones,” Clason, who led the research project, told AFP.
The Chernobyl disaster of 1986—by far the most devastating nuclear accident to date—released vast clouds of radioactive material including Caesium into the atmosphere, causing widespread contamination and acid rain across northern Europe for weeks afterwards. “Radioactive particles are very light so when they are taken up into the atmosphere they can be transported a very long way,” she told AFP. “When it falls as rain, like after Chernobyl, it washes away and it’s sort of a one-off event. But as snow, it stays in the ice for decades and as it melts in response to the climate it’s then washed downstream.”
The environmental impact of this has been shown in recent years, as wild boar meat in Sweden was found to contain more than 10 times the safe levels of Caesium.
“We’re talking about weapons testing from the 1950s and 1960s onwards, going right back in the development of the bomb,” Clason said. “If we take a sediment core you can see a clear spike where Chernobyl was, but you can also see quite a defined spike in around 1963 when there was a period of quite heavy weapons testing.”
Weapons tests can fling radioactive detritus up to 50 miles in the air. Smaller, lighter materials will travel into the upper atmosphere, and may “circulate around the world for years, or even decades, until they gradually settle out or are brought back to the surface by precipitation,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Fallout is comprised of radionuclides such as Americium-241, Cesium-137, Iodine-131, and Strontium-90. Depending on a material’s half-life, it could remain in the environment minutes to years before decaying. Their levels of radiation also vary.
Particles can return to the immediate area as acid rain that’s absorbed by plants and soil, wreaking havoc on ecosystems, human health, and communities. But radionuclides that travel far and wide can settle in concentrated levels on snow and ice—large amounts of radioactive material from Fukushima was found in 2011 on four glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau, for example.
One of the most potentially hazardous residues of human nuclear activity is Americium, which is produced when Plutonium decays. Whereas Plutonium has a half-life of 14 years, Americium lasts 400.
Americium is more soluble in the environment and it is a stronger alpha (radiation) emitter. Both of those things are bad in terms of uptake into the food chain,” said Clason. While there is little data available on how these materials can be passed down the food chain—even potentially to humans—Clason said there was no doubt that Americium is “particularly dangerous”.
As geologists look for markers of the epoch when mankind directly impacted the health of the planet—known as the Anthropocene—Clason and her team believe that radioactive particles in ice, soil and sediment could be an important indicator.
The team hopes that future research will investigate how fallout could disperse into the food chain from glaciers, calling it a potential “secondary source of environmental contamination many years after the nuclear event of their origin.”
The Daily Galaxy via AFP, France24, and Nature
May 10 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “These Scientists Did More Than Tell Us We Were Doomed” • In the past few days, a series of apocalyptic headlines appeared, telling us that a million species were threatened with extinction, based on an IPBES report. It is important to remember that the report didn’t just talk about doom. The committee also […]
Port Augusta power station sale to mark final closure of South Australia’s coal — RenewEconomy
South Australia’s coal-fired electricity industry will close its final chapter with the sale of the Port Augusta power station site. A big solar farm may be built there. The post Port Augusta power station sale to mark final closure of South Australia’s coal appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Port Augusta power station sale to mark final closure of South Australia’s coal — RenewEconomy
Labor to remove Coalition’s “climate fig leaf”, push funds to clean energy — RenewEconomy
Labor reveals it will scrap Coalition’s “Climate Solutions Fund” and redirect funds to clean energy initiatives. The post Labor to remove Coalition’s “climate fig leaf”, push funds to clean energy appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Labor to remove Coalition’s “climate fig leaf”, push funds to clean energy — RenewEconomy
W.A. to fund solar farms in six remote indigenous communities — RenewEconomy
W.A. government to install 4MW of solar across six remote indigenous communities as part of an $11.6m budget plan to slash use of heavy-polluting – heavily subsidised – diesel fuel. The post W.A. to fund solar farms in six remote indigenous communities appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via W.A. to fund solar farms in six remote indigenous communities — RenewEconomy
NSW green-lights 100MW solar farm plus battery for Riverina region — RenewEconomy
ESCO Pacific plans to build a 100MW solar and battery power station near West Wyalong have won approval from the state government. The post NSW green-lights 100MW solar farm plus battery for Riverina region appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via NSW green-lights 100MW solar farm plus battery for Riverina region — RenewEconomy
NSW Planning blocks Crookwell 3 wind farm, in heart of Taylor’s electorate — RenewEconomy
Third stage of Crookwell wind farm, in heart of energy minister Angus Taylor’s electorate, rejected by NSW Planning after opposition from local Landscape Guardian groups. The post NSW Planning blocks Crookwell 3 wind farm, in heart of Taylor’s electorate appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via NSW Planning blocks Crookwell 3 wind farm, in heart of Taylor’s electorate — RenewEconomy
1.This month.
Zoom webinar – “Nuclear Winter: The Environmental Consequences of a Nuclear Exchange.”
April 7th at 11:30 am PST / 2:30 pm EST
Nuclear Winter: The Environmental Consequences of a Nuclear Exchange”
Join us for an informative webinar with renowned atmospheric scientist, Professor Brian Toon, as he discusses the environmental risks and global impacts of a nuclear war. Despite the potential damage caused by the blast from even small nuclear weapons, many countries continue to invest in and expand nuclear arsenals. Professor Toon will provide a scientific assessment of civilian fatalities, agricultural failures, climate concerns, and complications with food supply that would follow any international nuclear conflict. We need to plan how to prevent nuclear conflict and avoid catastrophe. Politicians and military planners must be made aware of global climate and agricultural complications that would ensue. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from, and engage in, this vital conversation
The Road to War brings a sharp focus to why it is not in Australia’s best interest to be dragged into a war with China which will almost inevitably go nuclear very quickly. The filmmaker has interviewed some of Australia’s senior foreign policy analysts who have vast experience behind them in analysing what really is going on here as the United States rattles its sabres with China. And sets us up to be its proxy, like the poor Ukranians have been fed into the Meatgrinder. So America can remain the Top Dog. The Road to War reveals how the United States through its spy base at Pine Gap and by stationing six nuclear capable B52 bombers in the Top End (without permission from the traditional owners) is making Australia a prime nuclear target if the current war of words suddenly melts down into full scale war.
The Road to War shows the implicit connection between Carbon emissions (the US military uses a whopping 70% of America’s annual petroleum to move its armies and vast War Machine around the globe to its 800+ military bases..but under a loophole wangled at Kyoto, the US military does not have to report its C02 annual emissions). The Road to War starts screening at selected cities and regional centres in March. See the trailer end for details.
Antinuclear 