US rally against importing depleted uranium
Group rallies against nuclear waste headed to Utah 19 December ksl.com By John Hollenhorst SALT LAKE CITY –– A group rallied Saturday against a trainload of nuclear waste on its way to Utah, demanding Gov. Gary Herbert send the trains back immediately………… Continue reading
Ziggy Spinowski still spruiking “clean” “green” nuclear power
Christina Macpherson 18 Dec 09 Why does the media continue to give such a platform to the narrow views of a nuclear physicist obviously spruiking for his business? Is it because of some mindset that sees “hard” science (nuke physics, geology etc) as somewhow “real” scince, as compared to the “soft” sciences like ecology, environmental science, climatology?
It wouldn’t be so bad if Ziggy Switkowski showed that he had a clue about the ecological effects of radiation from uranium tailings, or the discharge of hot water into marine environments. He obviously doesn’t. Nor does he show any understanding even of the problems that will shut down nuclear plants as extreme weather events occur, and as sea levels rise.
But perhaps most of all, Ziggy Switkowski is right out of his depth on economics – as predictions of nuclear’s likely costs show not just the exorbitant construction costs, but also the running costs. As quoted today (by Tessa de Ryck) “a 2007 report that nuclear power will likely cost over $7,000 per kilowatt, Moody’s Investor Services is now taking an even more cautious view towards investment in nuclear power,”
A clean and green way to fuel the nation THE AUSTRALIAN , Ziggy Switkowski, 18 Dec 09 “………Cost. Nuclear energy has the highest capital cost, up to $4 billion to 6bn for our first 1000MWe reactor, but low running costs largely independent of the cost of uranium itself………………….
Nuclear Energy specifically excluded under Kyoto Protocol
Copenhagen, nuclear power, and the Clean Development Mechanism Nuclear Reaction, by Justin, 18 Dec 09
“……..For those who don’t know it,the Clean Development Mechanism the CDM is a system set up under the Kyoto Protocol which allows industrialised countries committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to earn carbon credits by investing in low-carbon projects in developing countries rather than building more expensive projects in their own countries.
Nuclear energy was specifically excluded from the CDM at the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change conference in 2001. Needless to say, the nuclear industry and its supporters have been lobbying hard ever since for nuclear’s inclusion in the mechanism. Continue reading
Nuclear “cure” for climate change – a $10 trillion useless exercise
Greenpeace debunks nuclear benefit Malaysia Business Insight BY PAUL ICAMINA 18 Dec 09 NUCLEAR’S contribution in easing climate change is “too little, too late,” the anti-nuclear group Greenpeace said.
“Most of the hypothetical new big reactors would start to generate energy well beyond 2020, probably after 2025, Continue reading
China’s nuclear program mired in corruption and dubious safety
Nuclear Power Expansion in China Stirs Concerns The New York Times By KEITH BRADSHER 15 Dec 09 “………. inside and outside the country, the speed of the construction program has raised safety concerns.
The last country to carry out such a rapid nuclear expansion was the United States in the 1970s, in a binge of reactor construction that ended with the Three Mile Island accident Continue reading
France’s nukes vulnerable to extreme weather
French Nuclear Power Struggles in a Cold Snap Business Week by: Carol Matlack on December 16 “…… the system also has shortcomings, as became evident this week when a cold snap sent electricity demand soaring. Continue reading
Utah opposes import of depleted uranium waste
Utah gov to DOE: Halt depleted uranium shipment By BROCK VERGAKIS (AP) 16 Dec 09 SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert sent Energy Secretary Steven Chu a letter Tuesday asking him to halt the shipment of nearly 15,000 drums of low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina for disposal in Utah. Continue reading
US troops face continued depleted uranium danger
Army Again Turns to Depleted Uranium for New Weaponry Wired By David Hambling December 15, 2009 “………….Now, the U.S. Army is upgrading to a new 120mm Advanced Kinetic Energy round, and about the only thing we know for sure is that it will be made of DU. The generation after that… may be an improved version of DU called Stakalloy…………. It should also be mentioned that the idea of tungsten being introduced as a “clean” alternative to “dirty” DU took something of a knock when it was found that military-grade tungsten alloy is highly carcinogenic in rats.
Indigenous peoples at Copenhagen say NO to nuclear
Indigenous Peoples in Copenhagen: Ruling out the Nuclear Option — Neither Clean nor Green Nuclear Reaction 15 Dec 09 COPENHAGEN — Remembering the words of Chief Seattle, Indigenous Peoples and people of color at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen sent a message to the world to rule out nuclear energy, which is neither clean nor green. Continue reading
The nuclear bomb report
(Commenting on Report Of The International Commission On Nuclear Non-Proliferation And Disarmament.) (Quoting from the report – ) “Nuclear weapons are the most inhumane weapons ever conceived, inherently indiscriminate in those they kill and maim, and with an impact deadly for decades,” the report says. ”Climate change may be the global policy issue that has captured most attention in the last decade, but the problem of nuclear weapons is at least its equal in terms of gravity – and much more immediate in its potential impact.”………….
the commission offers a slightly different formulation from ”no first use”, encouraging countries to make an initial statement to the effect that ”the sole purpose of the possession of nuclear weapons is to deter the use of such weapons against one’s own state and that of one’s allies”…………. Continue reading
Disarmament panel puts India, Pak in same category
“India is clubbed with Pakistan throughout the report”
Disarmament panel puts India, Pak in same category Economic Times 16 Dec 2009, A report of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament has proposed cutting down the world’s nuclear weapons from 23,000 to 2,000 by 2025 and suggested that all nuclear states should have a ‘no first use’ stance. The commission is actually the brainchild of Japan and Australia. Continue reading
Scotland going for world-class tidal and wave energy
Energy pairing on crest of a wave The partnership plans to look for a site to the west of Shetland BBC News 15 Dec 09 One of Europe’s biggest energy companies has teamed up with an Edinburgh firm to develop the first wave power project off Shetland. Continue reading
France wants investors to help its nuclear debt
France seeks foreign cash to grow nuclear sector
PARIS, Dec 14 (Reuters) By Nina Sovich – France pledged 1 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to support next generation reactor design and said it would seek foreign capital to back its move to the forefront of nuclear energy expansion.
The investment is part of a 35 billion-euro spending plan French President Nicolas Sarkozy Sarkozy unveiled on Monday aimed at improving France’s competitiveness. ………………. The French government, which owns majority stakes in both nuclear reactor maker Areva (CEPFi.PA) and utility giant EDF (EDF.PA), is trying to position France as the market leader in designing and running these power plants…………… To fund these costs, the French government recently asked Areva to sell its electricity business for some 4 billion euros. It has also invited foreign utilities to take stakes in new plants being built in France…………………..
Last month Proglio blasted French energy companies bidding on a contract to build nuclear power plants in Abu Dhabi for its lack of coherence.
Anti thyroid cancer medication for residents near nuke plants
Anti-radiation potassium iodide pills to be distributed near Perry nuclear power plant CLEVELAND.com By Harlan Spector, The Plain Dealer December 13, 2009, Potassium iodide pills distributed years ago to neighbors of the Perry nuclear power plant have reached the end of their shelf life.The pills, which protect against thyroid cancer in the event of a radiation accident, were first distributed in 2002, and they expired in May. Local health officials say they are preparing to distribute new potassium iodide pills to people within 10 miles of the Perry plant, which besides Lake, includes small parts of Geauga and Ashtabula counties. Meanwhile, there is a renewed push in Washington to expand the pill-distribution area from 10 miles to 20 miles.
Watch award winning online doco on depleted uranium
The Doctor, the Depleted Uranium, and the Dying Children Top Documentary Films 15 Dec 09 An award winning documentary film produced for German television by Freider Wagner and Valentin Thurn. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 