NSW push for uranium driven by ideologues happy with fossil fuels
NSW push for uranium driven by ideologues happy with fossil fuels, https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/nsw-push-uranium-driven-ideologues-happy-fossil-fuels Paul Gregoire, September 8, 2020,
When New South Wales MLC Mark Latham tabled a bill in mid-2019 that sought to lift the state’s ban on uranium mining and nuclear facilities, no-one paid too much attention. After all, the One Nation MP makes a habit of trying to grab attention and this throwback to the 1980s seemed more of the same.
The bill was sent to a parliamentary review, chaired by Liberal nuclear zealot Taylor Martin. When its March report recommended backing Latham, NSW deputy premier John Barilaro quickly announced the Nationals would support the proposal.
As debate over the bill looked set to take place late last month, it seemed the Coalition would vote with One Nation. However, on August 24, cabinet announced it would consider its own legislation, rather than throw its weight behind Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party.
While this chain of events seems to be rather happenstance, something more coordinated is at play.
As anti-nuclear activists told Green Left, the move towards mining uranium is part of a push by the Minerals Council of Australia, which reaches all the way to the PM’s office. It is no accident that nuclear energy has resurfaced in the public debate as a more widespread public understanding about the necessary transition to renewables takes place.
No economic benefits
Uranium Free NSW spokesperson Natalie Wasley said the ban on uranium mining has been in place since the late 1980s and that lifting it would not bring in much profit or jobs.
“The price of uranium has been depressed since the Fukushima disaster [in Japan], and it’s not likely to recover any time soon,” Wasley said. “We’ve seen the CEO of Cameco — the largest uranium mining company in the world — say that it doesn’t make sense to invest in primary supply.”
Last November, Cameco chief executive Tim Gitzel said that “even the lowest-cost producers are deciding to preserve long-term value by leaving uranium in the ground”. The Canadian company owns uranium deposits in Western Australia, which are much more significant than those in NSW.
“There are no known economic deposits of uranium in NSW,” Friends of the Earth national nuclear campaigner Dr Jim Green said. “The nuclear push in NSW is driven by far-right wing-nuts who don’t believe in climate change and are quite happy with coal.”
Green was at pains to point out that uranium as an energy source is suffering a global downturn that could mark its end. He said that the trade in uranium in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia is negligible.
Prior to the NSW Coalition cabinet’s meeting in late August, NSW energy minister Matt Kean had indicated that mining uranium is economically unviable. However, since then he’s since gone silent on the matter and not responded to Green Left’s request for comment.
Desecrating First Nations
“The people who will be first impacted by uranium extraction in NSW — as has happened across the world — will be First Nations people,” NSW Greens MLC David Shoebridge made clear. “Their land will be poisoned. It will be their water that gets poisoned by the radioactive waste.”
Wasley pointed out that areas around Dubbo, the New England region and Broken Hill were raised as potential areas for uranium mining in 2012. At that time, Aboriginal communities voiced strong opposition.
NSW Aboriginal Land Council member Rod Towney told the ABC last month that opening up western NSW for uranium extraction would be a disaster. The Wiradjuri elder said: “We don’t like uranium and what it does”. He added that current mining projects for other resources were also not of benefit to his people.
There is also the significant issue of how to safely dispose of nuclear waste. Wasley said that all nuclear facilities around the world have led to some contamination. She pointed to Jabiru Ranger mine’s ongoing pollution problem in the middle of Kakadu National Park.
“We’ve seen massive contamination spikes in creeks downstream,” Wasley said. “This is in the middle of a World Heritage area, where there are many more layers of scrutiny built into that mining operation than there would be in a remote NSW location.”
Broader agenda
According to Australian Conservation Foundation’s nuclear free campaigner Dave Sweeney, the lack of any economic sense behind investing in either uranium mining or nuclear energy points to this push being an ideological move by conservative MPs on behalf of a larger player.
“There is a very clear campaign from the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) to remove any current political policy ban, legislative restrictions or prohibitions on uranium and nuclear,” Sweeney said.
The seasoned anti-nuclear activist outlined that the MCA is behind an ongoing Victorian parliamentary inquiry into lifting similar moratoriums on uranium and nuclear energy there. He asserts that the industry body is behind the NSW inquiry into Latham’s bill. “They did the same thing at the federal level, with a push by Minister Keith Pitt.”
The federal government established a parliamentary inquiry last year that ultimately recommended the development of, and investment in, nuclear energy.
Pitt was subsequently appointed federal resources minister in February and, while the nation was still reeling from the catastrophic Black Summer bushfires, the new minister suggested the country needed more investment in coal, gas and uranium to “lift” standards of living.
Knocking out renewables
Renowned United States commentator Professor Noam Chomsky has warned that humanity is facing two great existential threats: uranium-fuelled nuclear war and fossil fuel-driven climate change.
Shoebridge, who is the energy spokesperson for the NSW Greens, pointed out that even if NSW uranium is exported under the proviso that it cannot be used in weaponry, it nevertheless frees up others to provide the metal to build toxic arms.
Sweeney maintains that the ultimate purpose of the conservatives’ push for the economically unviable outdated energy source is ideological: it aims to shift the debate away from the urgent need for a just transition to renewables to an argument over fossil fuels versus uranium.
“It’s a way to further increase and facilitate uncertainty, confusion and delay in developing a genuine and credible energy policy at state and national levels to do what we need to do,” the seasoned nuclear-free campaigner said.
Sweeney said that for those who have an interest in maintaining coal or advancing gas, the “nuclear argument is handy”, as it shifts the debate from the increasingly obvious option of renewables, which are “cheaper, more plentiful, more popular and quicker to deploy”.
“This whole nuclear debate is a dangerous distraction from where we need to be which is ending our reliance on fossil fuels and embracing and supercharging renewables,” Sweeney concluded.
INJUSTICE at work? The extradition trial of Julian Assange
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UK: Assange extradition hearing will be a key test for UK and US justice https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/09/uk-assange-extradition-hearing-will-be-a-key-test-for-uk-and-us-justice/?fbclid=IwAR2HY0lPIxV4m0h3u7ikxEmtaJ0m5YxUITtTgqmVViX03L6qsd40vHEwq2Y 4 September 2020 US authorities must drop all charges against Julian Assange relating to his publishing activities, and UK authorities must reject the related US extradition request, said Amnesty International ahead of Julian Assange’s extradition hearing which resumes on Monday and is expected to last several weeks. The hearing will decide on the Trump administration’s request for Julian Assange’s extradition to the US, where he faces a sentence of up to 175 years for publishing materials that document possible war crimes committed by the US military. “This hearing is the latest worrying salvo in a full-scale assault on the right to freedom of expression. If Julian Assange is prosecuted it could have a chilling effect on media freedom, leading publishers and journalists to self-censor in fear of retaliation,” said Amnesty International’s Europe Director, Nils Muižnieks. “If Julian Assange is extradited it will have far reaching human rights implications, setting a chilling precedent for the protection of those who publish classified information in the public interest.” The US extradition request is based on charges that stem directly from the publication of classified documents as part of Assange’s journalistic work with Wikileaks. Publishing such information is a cornerstone of media freedom and the public’s right to access public interest information, and must be protected rather than criminalized. In the US, Julian Assange could face trial on 18 charges, 17 of them under the Espionage Act; and one under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. He would also face a real risk of serious human rights violations including detention conditions that could amount to torture or other ill-treatment, including prolonged solitary confinement. Julian Assange is the first publisher to face charges under the Espionage Act. The fact that Assange was the target of a negative public campaign by US officials at the highest levels undermines his right to be presumed innocent and puts him at risk of an unfair trial. “The UK must abide by its obligations under international human rights law, which forbid the transfer of individuals to another country where they would face serious human rights violations,” said Nils Muižnieks. The case will begin at the Old Bailey, London, on the morning (9.30am UK time) of 7 September. Stefan Simanowitz will be outside the court with an Amnesty International spokesperson. Follow @StefSimanowitz for updates and analysis Amnesty will have trial observers monitoring remotely the entire series of hearings. During the first week, Sebastian Elgueta (@sebelgueta), a UK based barrister, will be monitoring. Background: Amnesty International also has concerns with regard to Julian Assange’s physical and mental well-being, particularly with the spread of COVID-19. Conditions in UK prisons and detention centres are substandard. It is imperative that health and safety protocols are put in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, while ensuring that prisoners’ and detainees’ rights are protected. Bail or release should be considered for any detainee or prisoner who has serious underlying health conditions and is particularly at risk of infection. See Amnesty International’s statement on prison conditions for Assange here |
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Australia’s National Radioactive Waste Management Taskforce plays deceptively with statistics
Kazzi Jai Fight to stop nuclear waste dump in the Flinders Ranges
There are so many things which are really wrong with this flawed proposal….
One thing which keeps rearing its ugly head is the “selective” way that DIIS and its promoters use percentages to support their arguments. Take this extract from Sam Chard in a newspaper called “Echo Daily” from last month….
“The co-location of low and intermediate level waste at the facility has been the basis of the facility proposal since 2015 and the Kimba community was well informed about the proposal, in advance of their local council ballot.
Sixty-two per cent of respondents from the Kimba community supported the proposal moving ahead – 90.41 per cent of eligible locals participated in the ballot.
39.71 per cent of the Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation voted against the proposal in their own ballot – 58.38 per cent did not respond.”
Apart from the fact that THIS proposal is the EXACT SAME PROPOSAL put forward FORTY YEARS AGO….and the “assumption” that the Kimba community was well informed (how EXACTLY did they determine the level of being “informed”?)…what really irks me most is the use of PERCENTAGES!
And not only that – BUT THE SELECTIVE USE OF NUMBERS IN WORDS AND FIGURES! Unless you are being a Secret Squirrel – you need to be CONSISTENT with YOUR NOMENCLATURE!
It needs to read….
” 61.58% of respondents from the Kimba community supported the proposal moving ahead – 90.41% of eligible locals participated in the ballot.
39.71% of the Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation voted against the proposal in their own ballot – 58.38% did not respond – BUT 0% VOTED FOR THE DUMP!”
Or even better yet – “100% of the respondents of the Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation voted against the proposal in their own ballot”….
And include….“In fact, there was no BROAD COMMUNITY CONSENT achieved in the Kimba community at all, as the MINIMUM of 2/3RDS or OVER 66.67% WAS NOT ACHIEVED IN THE COMMUNITY BALLOT!”
Scott Morrison will be praying for a Trump win: they see eye-to-eye on doing nothing about climate change
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Scott Morrison is yearning for a Donald Trump victory The PM will be praying for a Republican win in the US to back up his inaction on climate and the Paris Agreement. The Age, Kevin Rudd 8 Sept 20, A year out from Barack Obama’s election in 2008, John Howard made a stunning admission that he thought Americans should be praying for a Republican victory. Ideologically this was unremarkable. But the fact Howard said so publicly was because he knew just how uncomfortable an Obama victory would be for him given his refusal to withdraw our troops from Iraq.Fast forward more than a decade, and Scott Morrison – even in the era of Donald Trump – will also be yearning desperately for a Republican victory come November. But this time it is the conservative recalcitrance on a very different issue that risks Australia being isolated on the world stage: climate change.
And as the next summer approaches, Australians will be reminded afresh of how climate change, and its impact on our country and economy, has not gone away. Former vice-president Joe Biden has put at the centre of his campaign a historic plan to fight climate change both at home and abroad. On his first day in office, he has promised to return the US to the Paris Agreement. And he recently unveiled an unprecedented $2 trillion green investment plan, including the complete decarbonisation of the domestic electricity system by 2035. By contrast, Morrison remains hell-bent on Australia doing its best to disrupt global momentum to tackle the climate crisis and burying our head in the sand when it comes to embracing the new economic opportunities that come with effective climate change action. As a result, if Biden is elected this November, we will be on track for a collision course with our American ally in a number of areas. First, Morrison remains recklessly determined on being able to carry over so-called “credits” from the overachievement of our 2020 Kyoto target to help it meet its already lacklustre 2030 target under the new Paris regime. No other government in the world is digging their heels in like this. None. It is nothing more than an accounting trick to allow Australia to do less. Perhaps the greatest irony is that this “overachievement” was also in large part because of the mitigation actions of our government. That aside, these carbon credits also do nothing for the atmosphere. At worst, using them beyond 2020 could be considered illegal and only opens the back door for other countries to also do less by following Morrison’s lead.
This will come to a head at the next UN climate talks in Glasgow next year. While Australia has thus far been able to dig in against objections by most of the rest of the world, a Biden victory would only strengthen the hand of the UK hosts to simply ride over the top of any further Australian intransigence. Morrison would be foolhardy to believe that Boris Johnson’s government will burn its political capital at home and abroad to defend the indefensible Australian position. Second, unlike 114 countries around the world, Morrison remains hell-bent on ignoring the central promise of Paris: that all governments increase their 2030 targets by the time they get to Glasgow. That’s because even if all those commitments were fully implemented, it would only give the planet one-third of what is necessary to keep average temperature increases within 1.5 degrees by 2100, as the Paris Agreement requires. This is why governments agreed to increase their ambition every five years as technologies improved, costs lowered and political momentum built……… Under Trump, Morrison has been able to get one giant leave pass for doing nothing on climate. But under Biden, he’ll be seen as nothing more than the climate change free-loader that he is. As he will by the rest of the world. And our economy will be punished as a result. https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/scott-morrison-is-yearning-for-a-donald-trump-victory-20200906-p55sxe.html |
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Endless summers, endless wildfires,
Endless summers, endless wildfires, South Wind 8 September 2020,
If leaders can’t get their heads around the wildfire-climate link, we had better prepare for many more nasty summers “…………. Now, everything is merged into one, and greatly enlarged. In my youth the places I recall having summer fires were Australia, the western United States, and odd outbreaks in Latin America, Africa and Mediterranean countries. Now we hear of fires erupting in other northern lands, as far north as the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
Looking back at this year so far we could be forgiven for thinking the whole world is ablaze. Almost as soon as wildfires are extinguished on one continent they seem to be breaking out afresh on another one.
2020 began with Australia’s record-breaking Black Summer fires destroying millions of hectares of forest and capturing global attention. Within a couple of months fires had broken out in Ukraine, threatening the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear plant.
A month later, smouldering peat that had been primed by years of drying and warming began to spark vegetation fires in Siberia that would eventually number over 600, emitting more carbon in two months than any preceding year and producing a smoke cloud spanning an area bigger than Europe.
The Siberian fires were still burning in mid-August when forests in California erupted into flames, more than a month earlier than the start of a “normal” season in that part of the world and less than two years after its previous record-breaking year.
At the end of a relatively quiet Californian fire season, in 2019-20 Australia got the benefit of that state’s large water-bombing aircraft, one of which crashed in the Australian Alps killing its US crew. Now, with California suffering similar devastation, we are battling to respond to its desperate appeal for reciprocal help.
Add to all those the perennial fires accompanying rainforest clearing in Southeast Asia and Brazil. The Amazon Basin situation is dire. August-September is the land-clearers’ peak burning period, and this year, with legal constraints all but destroyed under president Jair Bolsonaro, the area burnt and smoke generated looks like being even worse than what triggered last year’s global alarm.
Last week saw release of the interim report of the inquiry into Australia’s natural disaster management, led by former air force chief Mark Binskin, which was set up by the Morrison government after the Black Summer fires.
As the Black Summer fires showed, the report said, “bushfire behaviour has become more extreme and less predictable. Catastrophic fire conditions may become more common, rendering traditional bushfire prediction models and firefighting techniques less effective.”
No close observer of climate change would be surprised by the coronavirus pandemic’s global progress and the response to it of many political and vested interests. Those interests might wish it were otherwise, but this contagion operates without any reference to the things they hold dear.
Climate change, too, doesn’t recognise human boundaries. We set it off, and by failing to curb carbon emissions, we ensured its impact would continue to grow. Yet Australian governments, ignoring dire warnings from disaster experts, continue to behave as if it doesn’t exist.
This summer may see something of a reprieve. Weather authorities anticipate a wettish spring for eastern Australia. A moist understory is less likely to kindle fire from dry lightning, which has plagued recent fire management in both hemispheres.
But hoping for good weather doesn’t replace what the experts keep saying: a fire plan that doesn’t acknowledge the overwhelming influence of climate change is no plan at all. If partisan politics and vested interests prevent us acting on this, we’d better get ready for many more summers from hell. http://southwind.com.au/2020/09/08/endless-summers-endless-wildfires/
Joe Biden if president will push allies like Australia to do more on climate, adviser says
Joe Biden if president will push allies like Australia to do more on climate, adviser says
Jake Sullivan says the former vice-president, if elected, won’t ‘pull any punches’ on what is a global problem. Guardian Daniel Hurst @danielhurstbne, Mon 7 Sep 2020
Joe Biden will not pull any punches with allies including Australia in seeking to build international momentum for stronger action on the climate crisis, an adviser to the US presidential candidate has said.
If elected in November, Biden will hold heavy emitters such as China accountable for doing more “but he’s also going to push our friends to do more as well”, according to Jake Sullivan, who was the national security adviser to Biden when he was vice-president and is now in the candidate’s inner circle……..
While Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, is likely to welcome the pledge of US coordination with allies on regional security issues, there may be unease in government ranks about the potential for tough conversations about Australia’s climate policies.
The Coalition government has resisted calls to embrace a target of net-zero emissions by 2050 and it proposes to use Kyoto carryover credits to meet Australia’s 2030 emission reductions pledge. Some Coalition backbenchers still openly dispute climate science.
Sullivan said climate change would be a big priority for Biden, both in domestic policy – with climate and clean energy issues placed at the heart of his economic recovery visions – and in foreign policy, where he would do more than just reverse Donald Trump’s decision to abandon the Paris agreement.
He has said right out of the gate, we’re not just rejoining Paris – we are going to rally the nations of the world to get everyone to up their game, to elevate their ambition, to do more,” Sullivan told the Lowy Institute. ………. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/07/joe-biden-if-president-will-push-allies-like-australia-to-do-more-on-climate-adviser-says
PM ARGUES THAT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFO SHOULD REMAIN SECRET
Senator Rex Patrick Fight to stop a nuclear waste dump in outh Australia , 7 Sept 20 PM ARGUES THAT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFO SHOULD REMAIN SECRET
In the most bizarre moment I’ve ever had in an Freedom of Information (FOI) fight, this week I had to deal with a taxpayer funded legal argument from the Prime Minister’s office arguing why publicly available information should remain secret (yes, you read that correctly).
In 2018 the Attorney-General censored the Auditor-General, issuing an certificate in a never before used section of the Auditor-General’s Act, forcing the Auditor to redact information in an audit report he provided to the Parliament.
I used FOI to request an uncensored copy of the report that was sent to the PM’s office. Initially the PM used an erroneous argument to stop me getting it, which the PM later abandoned. Then he raised a complex constitutional argument that was to go before a judge, but they dropped at the last minute. This week the Government’s lawyers even put forward an argument saying that the dispute should be dealt with in a closed hearing that I would not be allowed to attend.
Whilst my epic battle has managed to get a lot of the report released to me, there are still some parts that are disputed and are being withheld from me. However, it is now known that part of the disputed material is information that is already publicly available. It is you YOU the taxpayer that is being charged by the PM’s lawyers to develop legal arguments as to why information that is publicly available should remain secret.
ACT secures two big batteries for Canberra and record low price for wind — RenewEconomy
ACT government secures record low prices in new wind auction, while Neoen and GPG will also build two big batteries in the National Capital. The post ACT secures two big batteries for Canberra and record low price for wind appeared first on RenewEconomy.
ACT secures two big batteries for Canberra and record low price for wind — RenewEconomy
Australia’s biggest renewable energy hub lands first contract with ACT — RenewEconomy
Neoen bids record low price for wind energy to win ACT government auction and kick-start construction of Australia’s biggest renewable energy hub. The post Australia’s biggest renewable energy hub lands first contract with ACT appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Australia’s biggest renewable energy hub lands first contract with ACT — RenewEconomy
September 7 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “How A Tesla And Volkswagen Collaboration Could Help The Environment” • After a meeting between Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess and Tesla’s Elon Musk, I wonder about how the world might benefit if Tesla and Volkswagen were to become partners. Remember, Tesla is not just about cars; its objective ties everything together. [CleanTechnica] […]
September 7 Energy News — geoharvey
Australia’s main grid hits new renewable energy record of 50.4 per cent — RenewEconomy
Renewable energy records tumble across Australia, including a new milestone of 50.4 per cent on the main grid where wind and solar beat coal. The post Australia’s main grid hits new renewable energy record of 50.4 per cent appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Australia’s main grid hits new renewable energy record of 50.4 per cent — RenewEconomy
ACT Greens commit to $50 million electric vehicle plan, $10,000 grants — RenewEconomy
ACT Greens promise $50 million fund to give people and businesses $10,000 towards buying an electric car or motorbike. The post ACT Greens commit to $50 million electric vehicle plan, $10,000 grants appeared first on RenewEconomy.
ACT Greens commit to $50 million electric vehicle plan, $10,000 grants — RenewEconomy
Brown coal generators must now dance to the tune of rooftop solar — RenewEconomy
Victoria’s ageing brown coal generators forced to dance to the tune of rooftop solar as new minimum demand levels set during daylight hours. The post Brown coal generators must now dance to the tune of rooftop solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Brown coal generators must now dance to the tune of rooftop solar — RenewEconomy
Taylor to force clean energy funds to back gas and carbon capture — RenewEconomy
A leaked draft of the Morrison government’s ‘technology investment roadmap’ suggests it will open up clean energy funding to fossil fuel projects. The post Taylor to force clean energy funds to back gas and carbon capture appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Taylor to force clean energy funds to back gas and carbon capture — RenewEconomy
Queensland fast-tracks renewable zones with $500m “shot in the arm” — RenewEconomy
Queensland government unveils a $1 billion Covid-19 recovery stimulus package, a full half of which is being dedicated to fast-tracking three new renewable energy zones. The post Queensland fast-tracks renewable zones with $500m “shot in the arm” appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Queensland fast-tracks renewable zones with $500m “shot in the arm” — 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 