Tilman Ruff: the Australian government has not made the case for Kimba nuclear waste site: a transparent public review is needed
Tilman A Ruff AO MB, BS (Hons), FRACP –
Associate Professor, Nossal Institute for Global Health, School of Population and Global Health, University
of Melbourne
Co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Nobel Peace Prize, 1985)
Founding international and Australian Chair, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Nobel
Peace Prize 2017), Australian Committee member
Re: National Radioactive Waste Management Amendment (Site Specification, Community Fund and Other Measures) Bill 2020 [Provisions]
I have deep concerns about the federal government’s proposed changes to the National Radioactive Waste Management Act. The government has not made a clear case for the planned national facility at Kimba, and its process has been restricted and inadequate.
In particular, I am concerned that the planned changes:
- restrict or remove options for judicial review of the government’s site selection
under current laws; - unreasonably reduce the rights and options of the Barngarla Traditional Owners
and other directly impacted parties and have not been made with proper
consultation; - exclude key environmental and cultural heritage protection laws from being
applied; - . fail to make any clear or compelling radiological public health case for double handling of long-lived intermediate level wastes (ILW) bat significant public expense
- do not provide any certainty about the long term management of Australia’s radioactive waste
- are not consistent with international best practice in relation to siting, community consultation or procedural fairness around radioactive waste management, and;
- do not recognise or respect long standing South Australian legislation prohibiting any federal radioactive waste facility
Katrina Bohr – an undemocratic farce – the National Radioactive Waste Management “community consultations”
Katrina Bohr – Submission to National Radioactive Waste Management Amendment (Site Specification, Community Fund and Other Measures) Bill 2020 [Provisions] Submission 84
The site selection process in South Australia has not been democratic. From the Traditional land owners to the pastoralists and agricultural land owners, many voices that have not been heard.
There has been a flood of information cascading the communities of Kimba, Quorn and Hawker for numerous years.
In 2018, in Minister Matt Canavan’s words when questioned in Parliament on his definition of Broad Community Support, said-
1. The formal vote in the Kimba Council area and the Flinders Ranges Council area is only
one input, and a very important factor.
2. Submissions and views of people that live outside the formal regions-who also have an
interest in stake.
4. The number is not just a simple majority.
In a meeting with Alexander Scott, the then Assistant Adviser to Matt Canavan, we were informed that the Minister would be looking at submissions after the postal vote.
However, the Minister’s decision was immediate upon ballot results.
Kimba only.
Nuclear Waste is not what South Australia needs or wants. A National Nuclear Waste Facility should not be carried by a small remote community. The Department’s process involved imposing themselves onto small communities, and into
people’s homes. That’s personal, and it affects the health and well being of individuals in the communities,
and the community as a whole.
I’m presuming that the Hawker and surrounds are just collateral damage.
The Government’s process from the site selection right through to the final decision has not
been a consultative one . The concerns of those who live in Kimba are very real. Were the views of indigenous people taken into account, as was stated by the Minister in Parliament?
There are many unanswered questions.
Webinar Registration Free Assange – Stop the Extradition
Webinar Registration Free Assange – Stop the Extradition Time May 6, 2020 07:00 PM in London
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ei2DGsIzTsex6XdoK50szg?
link_id=5&can_id=3294684aa2f19f5e6bb632e712ba9105&source=email-3-vital-meetings&email_referrer=email_787333___subject_1060111&email_subject=3-vital-meetings
Organised by Greater Manchester Manchester Stop the War Coalition
Speakers:
Renata Avila – Wikileaks legal team
Tim Dawson – National Union of Journalists
John Rees – Stop the War Coalition
John Shipton – anti-war activist and Julian Assange’s father
Chair: Penny Hicks, Greater Manchester Stop the War Coalition
Renata Avila is an international human rights lawyer and Co-convener of the Progressive International. She has been a part of the legal and advocacy team of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks for more than a decade.
Tim Dawson is an NUJ past President and represents the NUJ and the International Federation of Journalists on the campaign against Julian Assange’s extradition.
John Rees is a writer, broadcaster and activist, one of the organisers of the People’s Assembly and co-founder of Stop the War Coalition.
John Shipton is Julian Assange’s father, an anti-war activist dedicated to the campaign to drop the extradition charge and see his son freed.
BOGUS CLAIMS AND DODGY FED GOVT NUCLEAR WASTE DUMPS PROCESS
Kim Mavromatis Nuclear Fuel Cycle Watch Australia, 5 May 20
What we now know is 2,789 submissions in total were received by Scomo’s Fed Govt [reported at the Kimba Consultative Committee meeting 23rd February 2020] and 94.5% of those submissions opposed dumping nuclear waste on farmland near Kimba. But that didn’t stop Scomo’s Fed govt and Senator Canavan from naming the site on farmland near Kimba. Not only did they ignore the Barngarla Native Title Holders of country, they also ignored the majority of the submissions that were opposed to the dumps near Kimba. And Scomo’s Fed govt BOGUS broad community support claim is nothing but a FRAUD. All the figures need to be independently scrutinised. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1021186047913052/
It would be worthwhile to act on climate change, to prevent rapid global heat rise
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‘Blown away’: Safe climate niche closing fast, with billions at risk, https://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/blown-away-safe-climate-niche-closing-fast-with-billions-at-risk-20200504-p54pod.html By Peter Hannam, May 5, 2020 As much as one-third of the world’s population will be exposed to Sahara Desert-like heat within half a century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at the pace of recent years.Scientists from China, the US and Europe found that the narrow climate niche that has supported human society would shift more over the next 50 years than it had in the preceding 6000 years.
As many as 3.5 billion people will be exposed to “near-unliveable” temperatures averaging 29 degrees through the year by 2070. Less than 1 per cent of the Earth’s surface now endures such heat. That heat compares with the narrow 11- to 15-degree range that has supported civilisation over the past six millennia, according to research published Tuesday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Absent climate mitigation or migration, a substantial part of humanity will be exposed to mean annual temperatures warmer than nearly anywhere today,” the paper said. Xu Chi, a researcher at China’s Nanjing University and one of the paper’s authors, said: “We were frankly blown away by our own initial results. As our findings were so striking, we took an extra year to carefully check all assumptions and computations.” “Clearly we will need a global approach to safeguard our children against the potentially enormous social tensions the projected change could invoke.” Among the most exposed nations will be India – where many people live in “already-hot places” – with as many as 1.2 billion people likely to be forced to move if population and warming trends continue. For Nigeria, the number exposed could be 485 million, according to a media release distributed along with the paper. The scenario used projected the total populations in India and Nigeria to reach 2.2 billion and 600 million, respectively, by 2070, Dr Xu told the Herald and The Age. In Australia, areas of Western Australia and the Northern Territory home to about 200,000 people will be at risk. The research extended current population and greenhouse gas emissions trends into the future, and excluded impacts from the coronavirus pandemic on both. The researchers also considered possible rainfall changed. “The global pattern of population distribution seems less constrained by precipitation – while there is also an optimum around 1000 mm [of rainfall a year ] – so we focused on temperature,” Dr Xu said. “Changes of precipitation regime would definitely have impacts, but such impacts together those of temperature change would be more complex to foresee.”
Compared with pre-industrial-era conditions, temperatures globally will be about 3 degrees hotter by 2070. But as land warms faster than the oceans, the rise for people on average will be about 7.5 degrees, the paper found. Should the world adopt strong emissions reductions – the so-called Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6 – it would “substantially reduce the geographical shift in the niche of humans and would reduce the theoretically needed movement to about 1.5 billion people”, the paper said. Still, that number would account for about one in seven of the world’s population. “Each degree of temperature rise above the current baseline roughly corresponds to 1 billion humans left outside the temperature niche, absent migration,” it said.
The researchers added that upheavals among populations – and the ecosystems that support them – could happen well before 2070. “Migration inevitably causes tension, even now, when a relatively modest number of about 250 million people live outside their countries of birth.” Tim Lenton, director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter and one of the paper’s authors, said: “The good news is that these impacts can be greatly reduced if humanity succeeds in curbing global warming.” Marten Scheffer, a professor at Wageningen University and an author of the report, said the response to the coronavirus should give cause for some optimism that climate change’s looming threats could also be tackled. “The COVID-19 response revealed that if a problem appears to be urgent and serious, humanity globally is able to act massively if needed, even if there are economic costs,” he told the Herald and The Age. “Perhaps this may serve to make it feel more doable to address global warming too. Our findings indicate that that would be worthwhile.” |
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Investors urge governments to go green for coronavirus recovery
 Investors urge governments to go green for coronavirus recovery, The Age ,By Mike Foley, May 4, 2020 Major investors, Australian superannuation funds and the International Energy Agency are urging governments to seize the green opportunity to drive economic growth after the coronavirus pandemic and avoid the risks they see in high carbon emitting projects.“Recovery plans that exacerbate climate change would expose investors and national economies to escalating financial, health and social risks in the coming years,” said a statement from the Investor Agenda group – an international coalition of institutional investors and asset managers whose members hold more than US$80 trillion under management.
Large-scale energy generators such as coal and gas fired power plants and their heavy duty transmission networks, as well as gas powered manufacturing facilities, are built to deliver a return on investment over decades. Investors argue international commitments to tackle climate change and reduce emissions such as the Paris Agreement create an unacceptable risk for long-term investment in emissions intensive projects…… The Clean Energy Council, which represents renewable energy companies that employ more than 28,000 workers said governments had “an opportunity to transform Australia forever”. In its Clean Recovery report released on Tuesday the Council said wind and solar projects totalling 30 gigawatts energy capacity, which already have development approval, would generate $50 billion in investment across the supply chain 50,000 construction jobs and 4000 permanent positions. The Council also said support for large and small-scale renewables, such as rooftop panels, and an accelerated roll-out of batteries would create a “smart energy system” that could deliver flexibility and lower costs for consumers with low-emissions. This week, the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental energy forecast adviser, highlighted opportunities in the energy sector in the wake of COVID-19. Global energy demand is forecast to fall a whopping 6 per cent this year, seven times more than during the global financial crisis….. The Council also said support for large and small-scale renewables, such as rooftop panels, and an accelerated roll-out of batteries would create a “smart energy system” that could deliver flexibility and lower costs for consumers with low-emissions. This week, the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental energy forecast adviser, highlighted opportunities in the energy sector in the wake of COVID-19. Global energy demand is forecast to fall a whopping 6 per cent this year, seven times more than during the global financial crisis…. Emma Herd, chief executive of the Australian Investor Group on Climate Change, said “government policy that spurs fresh private investment in clean energy … will lead to much needed jobs and economic growth”. “The Australian government should be looking to integrate recovery plans with its technology investment roadmap, long-term emissions reduction strategy, grid modernisation planning and bushfire recovery to build greater resilience and reduce climate risk,” Ms Herd said. https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/investors-urge-governments-to-go-green-for-coronavirus-recovery-20200504-p54pmu.html |
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Canberra records 18 per cent fall in emissions as renewables kick in — RenewEconomy
ACT records 18 per cent fall in greenhouse gas emissions as the territory’s wind and solar supplies come online, but a tougher challenge looms in transport emissions. The post Canberra records 18 per cent fall in emissions as renewables kick in appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Canberra records 18 per cent fall in emissions as renewables kick in — RenewEconomy
Massive Pilbara wind and solar export hub gets environmental green light — RenewEconomy
Western Australia watchdog recommends environmental approval for massive Asian Renewable Energy Hub, including up to 1,743 wind turbines and 2GW of solar. The post Massive Pilbara wind and solar export hub gets environmental green light appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Massive Pilbara wind and solar export hub gets environmental green light — RenewEconomy
CEC says wind and solar could add $50 billion of investment in Covid recovery — RenewEconomy
CEC says Australia’s current pipeline of big solar and wind, alone, could generate more than $50bn of investment, and 50,000 jobs for Australia’s regional areas. The post CEC says wind and solar could add $50 billion of investment in Covid recovery appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via CEC says wind and solar could add $50 billion of investment in Covid recovery — RenewEconomy
Cheap electricity is back in Australia — RenewEconomy
Australia is now enjoying low spot and futures prices for electricity. Cheap power is back. The post Cheap electricity is back in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.
May 4 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “In A Post-Pandemic World, Renewable Energy Is The Only Way Forward” • Pollution affects us all. Not only does it kill seven million of us each year, it makes us more vulnerable to all kinds of respiratory diseases, including, of course, those caused by such viruses as the one that brought us Covid-19. […]
It’s time Coalition listened to experts on climate and energy, and plotted a Green New Deal — RenewEconomy
True story: Morrison sets up new platform for investment in renewable energy power plants, with particularly focus on large scale wind, solar PV and storage. The post It’s time Coalition listened to experts on climate and energy, and plotted a Green New Deal appeared first on RenewEconomy.
1.This month.
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 