Antinuclear

Climate/nuclear news Australia – week to 21 January

With apologies to Samuel Johnson and “MadMen” – “Nothing concentrates the mind like the prospect of the economy going bust ”  Now, at the 50th anniversary meeting of  the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, climate change is the top subject. While poorer countries for a decade or more have suffered extreme droughts, floods -the impacts of global heating, it has taken the extreme wildfires of a rich country, Australia, to make the world’s big business people now sit up and take notice.

The case of Australia is remarkable also, in that the wildfires’ consequences have affected an entire continent.

While the news media is now more awake up to the global heating crisis, thing are pretty quiet on the nuclear scene.  The world continues to teeter on the nuclear war brink, and the millennials are apprehensive about this. On January 23rd, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will announce the 2020 time of the Doomsday Clock.

A bit of good news – Dutch Guy Famous for Cleaning Up Pacific Garbage Patch is Now Clearing the World’s Rivers Too

AUSTRALIA

CLIMATE.

• Much of Australia might simply become too hot and dry for human habitation.  Bureau of Meteorology chart shows how temperatures have soared in Australia over the past century.
• Australia’s billion of animal deaths – conservationists must not give up.  Australia can have zero emissions and still profit from minerals, says Ross Garnaut.
• Bangladesh and Australia- both vulnerable to climate change – but will that stop the coal lobby?  Australia has a carbon industrial complex uniting government and greenhouse emitters. James Murdoch slams family’s media empire for serving as platform for climate denial.
•   Liberal Party misinformation on climate change.  Refuting Coalition claims on their climate policies – a guide.
• Morrison says NSW minister [climate action advocate] “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Does Morrison?     Scott Morrison probably intransigent on climate policy.   Fire fighter’s anger at Scott Morrison, over climate change.
• Australia led the world in climate action, in 2012 with the Gillard Labor government.   Australia reMade – a primer for our climate action future. Criminal case against Adani over a coal transaction.

NUCLEAR.

Australian Nuclear Technology and Science Organisation, (ANSTO), jumps on the bushfire propaganda bandwagon.   Independent MP Bob Katter nominates two small rural towns as desirable sites for nuclear power stations. Experienced physicist doubts the value of small modular nuclear reactors for Australia.

It would be wise to cancel the plan for dumping Lucas Heights’ nuclear waste in South Australia. New short films show the shocking impact of nuclear waste plan on the Kimba community. Scandalous that the Australian government plans a nuclear waste dump on our precious, scarce, agricultural land.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

• Australia’s future as a renewable energy superpower.  Environmentalists must stress issues of employment in renewables, and the need for energy conservation.
• Investors slam hard-line stance by rule-maker that could stop wind and solar projects.   Victoria slashes grid outage risk with record demand response uptake.
• South Australia’s biggest wind solar hybrid project gets financial green light.   MPower starts work on two more 5MW solar farms for South Australia.
• Federation Asset Management  makes big offer to acquire wind farm developer Windlab. NSW flags imminent release of EV strategy, as feds ignore electric in auto transition report.

The prosecution of Julian Assange – a travesty of justice.

INTERNATIONAL

Climate change afflicting the health of the world’s children. New review confirms that global heating  increases the risk of wildfires. The oceans are getting hot.

Debunking James Hansen’s claims in favour of nuclear power.

Low dose radiation causes cell mutations – new research.

Nuclear industry in terminal decline – over to solar and wind. Nuclear’s swansong?

January 21, 2020 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina reviews