Recycling of rare earths – an industry already under way
Recycling gives old electronics new life JAMIE DUNCAN AAP MAY 01, 2015 Herald Sun
IMAGINE a world in which billions of dollars of gold, silver, platinum and other precious metals are thrown into a pit like rubbish.
IT seems unlikely, but it’s happening now at landfills around the globe.
- A recent United Nations University report found consumers threw out 41.8 million tonnes of unwanted electronics, or e-waste, in 2014 but recycled only 6.5 million tonnes.That discarded e-waste included an estimated $US52 billion ($A65.78 billion) of precious and other metals.Rose Read, recycling manager with MobileMuster (MobileMuster), says recycling components from e-waste is good for the economy and the environment.”The benefits are massive, and not just in terms of dollar value, but also the environmental benefits of slowing the rate of mining,” Ms Read told AAP.”The amount of energy it takes to recover product materials from a mobile phone is a tenth of digging them up.”MobileMuster is a federal government-accredited product stewardship scheme funded voluntarily by a range of mobile phone manufacturers and retailers that collects unwanted mobiles to recycle components.A similar scheme operates for end-of-life televisions.Consumer thirst for the latest technology is forcing the need to recycle e-waste, Ms Read said…….
- Recycling e-waste entails significant costs, hence the need for industry-funded stewardship schemes, but Ms Read says Australia could build a new, self-sustaining e-waste industry.
- Already, a lead smelter in South Australia is considering expanding to recycle circuit boards locally rather than send them overseas, she said.”There is a whole range of opportunities to create a new industry and employment,” she said.”A lot of new jobs could come out of this. There is some innovative new technology that we can use.”
A warning about paid trolls on social media
Already, trolls on Twitter have been running a scurrilous campaign against Dr Helen Caldicott. I believe that these Twitter trolls are Australia, and not connected with NASA or similar organisations. Their abusive tweets are so sill and insulting that I doubt that a serious agency would use them.
Internet Trolls May be Trained Government Agents According to Leaked Document Health Impact News Editor, 3 May 15 Glenn Greenwald, a journalist, constitutional lawyer, commentator, and author of three New York Times best-selling books on politics and law, has been working with NBC News in publishing a series of articles on how covert government agents infiltrate the Internet to “manipulate, deceive, and destroy reputations.”The information is based on documents leaked by National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden. Greenwald’s article, How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations, is based on four classified documents produced by the British spy agency GCHQ, and presented to the NSA and three other English speaking agencies reportedly part of “The Five Eyes Alliance.”
In this shocking piece, Greenwald publishes a copy of a spy training manual used entitled: “The Art of Deception: Training for Online Covert Operations.” Greenwald writes that agencies like the NSA are “attempting to control, infiltrate, manipulate, and warp online discourse, and in doing so, are compromising the integrity of the internet itself.” Greenwald writes: Continue reading
Australian Labor Party to roll over on nuclear policy and become indistinguishable from Liberal
AUDIO Labor set to debate expanding Australia’s role in the global nuclear fuel cycle http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/labor-set-to-debate-expanding-australias-role/6436276 1 May 2015 More uranium mining, more Australian involvement in the global nuclear fuel cycle, and the potential for taking back spent Australian nuclear fuel.
With the prospect of bi-partisan support, these options are all on the table with moves to free up the Labor Party’s nuclear policy at the ALP National Conference in Melbourne in July.
Labor in South Australia is already considering its nuclear options, with a Royal Commission set up earlier this year.
The nuclear re-think here in Australia comes as national nuclear societies meet in France over coming days to sign a Nuclear for Climate declaration.
What Australia’s nuclear lobby is most worried about
Pro nuclear Submissions for the Draft Terms of Reference for South Australia’s Nuclear Royal Commission gives an insight into the preoccupations of Australia’s nuclear lobby.
Dennis Matthews, of South Australia, took the trouble to analyse the themes raised in pro nuclear submissions.
The overwhelming concern of the nuclear lobby appears to be – the need to win over the public to supporting the nuclear industry – the necessity of “educating” the public. (It struck me that their idea of education might be similar to British tobacco’s idea of informing the public of the benefits of cigarette smoking.)
The second most important topic was the benefits of “Generation IV nuclear technology”, particularly Small Modular Recators. (They don’t even exist yet – but never mind)
Way behind these two topics, were arguments for the nuclear industry on grounds of economics, politics, locations for reactors, waste disposal, need to change Australia’s laws, and fixing climate change.
A very few submissions dealt with (in this order) military advantages, radiation no real threat, energy demand, Australia’s international role, benefits to Aborigines, expertise, and medical uses.
So I guess we can expect that the first onslaught of the pro nuclear campaign will be an allout publicity and “educational” effort – no doubt supported by a sycophantic media, and by educational institutions who know which side their bread is buttered.
ISSUES RAISED BY THE PRO-NUCLEAR SUBMISSIONS TO THE
DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE
SCARCE COMMISSION INTO EXPANDING THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY Continue reading
Thousands rally across Australia against closure of Indigenous communities
Melbourne city centre blocked by protests over closure of Indigenous communities – as it happened, Guardian, Helen Davidson @heldavidson 1 May 15 [excellent report and pictures]
Thousands of people joined rallies in towns and cities around Australia and overseas to protest against threatened withdrawal of funding from remote communities Tens of thousands have attended reportedly peaceful rallies across Australia and New Zealand, protesting against the threat of closure of remote communities in Western Australia.
The largest rallies in Melbourne and Sydney began at 4pm, severely disrupting Friday peak hour traffic. The Melbourne rally blocked a major intersection and Flinders st Station. Protesters intend to move to Kings Domain where they will set up a makeshift camp for two nights.
Some protesters in Sydney have moved on to the Redfern Aboriginal tent embassy after thousands walked down Sydney’s George St, delaying some public transport.
Between 500 and 1000 attended a Perth rally, as well as thousands more across Sydney, Canberra, Darwin, Adelaide, Alice Springs, and 1,000 in four New Zealand cities. …..http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2015/may/01/protests-at-proposed-closure-of-remote-indigenous-communities-live
Liberal MP Dan Tehan dares question Abbott strategy on Renewable Energy Target
Renewable energy target: Liberal MP Dan Tehan pushes for higher RET to end political stalemate, save jobs ABC TV 7.30 By Sabra Lane and Lucy Barbour A Liberal
MP is urging the Government to settle on a higher renewable energy target (RET) to prevent further job losses across the sector.
Companies from the trade-exposed energy intensive industry and the clean energy sector have told 7.30 they want the major parties to settle on a final target of 33,000 gigawatt hours (GWh).
The Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan, agrees and believes the Government should resolve the impasse swiftly. “[My constituents] have been saying that politics is put in front of jobs and what I have been reassuring them is that, as far as I’m concerned, what I want to see is jobs put before politics,” Mr Tehan told 7.30.
The RET mandates that 20 per cent of all Australia’s energy come from renewable sources by 2020.
The current target is legislated at 41,000 GWh, but electricity demand has dropped dramatically in recent years, meaning the amount generated will far exceed 20 per cent.
It is why the Coalition and Labor have been at loggerheads for months over what the target should be.
The Coalition will not budge from 32,000 GWh, while Labor is fixed on 33,500 GWh.
Businesses in ‘state of limbo’ as result of impasse
The community of Portland, in south-west Victoria, is fed up with the political stone-throwing and the latest push for agreement has been pushed by two of the region’s key businesses, Keppel Prince Engineering and Portland Aluminium.
Both companies rely on the RET debate being resolved to prevent further job losses.
The general manager of Keppel Prince, Steve Garner, said his company — which builds wind turbine towers — is in a “state of limbo”………….http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-30/liberal-mp-pushes-for-higher-ret-target-to-end-political-impasse/6435712
Abbott govt’s unreasonable delaying on decision about Renewable Energy target
a year and half has passed since the government set about reviewing a policy that they had made no mention of planning to cut during their election campaign. A review of the scheme had only just been concluded 12 months prior, saying no need to change it and no need to review it again.
So a few months later, and after spending several hundred thousand dollars, they find out what the earlier review had concluded. This scheme does not significantly increase household electricity bills, in fact if cut it is most likely to increase electricity bills.
But they decide they want to cut the scheme nonetheless
It has become a complete farce. Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane’s story for why he couldn’t accept lower cuts to the target have changed every few weeks.
Can Dan Tehan get Abbott to stop playing games over renewable energy?, Climate Spectator, TRISTAN EDIS 1 MAY, Backbench Liberal MP Dan Tehan’s seat of Wannon in southwest Victoria is probably suffering the most from the government’s decision to throw the future state of the Renewable Energy Target into uncertain turmoil.
His seat has one of the best land-based wind resources available in the world with a major power transmission line running right through the middle of it. There’s already several hundred megawatts of wind power capacity built, but also several thousand megawatts proposed in the area.
Meanwhile in the struggling town of Portland with high unemployment, one of Australia’s leading wind tower manufacturers and also wind servicing businesses, Keppel Prince, lays largely idle.
Construction of the wind farms proposed in the area would provide a very large employment boost to a region that badly needs it, while also providing a significant new income stream for local farmers that host the turbines.
His appearance on the ABC’s 7.30 Report last night clearly reflected an incredible degree of frustration with his own government’s lack of interest in giving the wind industry the regulatory stability required for it to come out of its coma…….. Continue reading
Australia’s coal lobby blamed for stalling the uranium deal with India
Is Australian coal-lobby blocking uranium deal with India?, Economic Times By IANS | 1 May, 2015, By Rekha Bhattacharjee SYDNEY: After India signed a deal with Canada on uranium imports during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ottawa, questions are being raised as to why it has taken Canberra so long to clinch a similar pact.
While there are 1,300 mining firms in Australia, production is dominated by very large firms such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Xtrata,Shell Ch .. …
Australians heard the social media call from Aborigines threatened with removal from their lands
Family harnesses power of social media to drive protests against forced closures of Aboriginal communities, ABC Lateline By Ginny Stein 1 May 15 Pressure is growing across Australia against plans by West Australian Premier Colin Barnett to close scores of remote Aboriginal communities.
A call to protest has spread across social media with rallies in capital cities across the country. But the protests had their origins far from any big city.
Layangali Bieundurry and her brother Nelson Bieundurry are from Wangkatjungka, a remote Aboriginal community on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert with a permanent population of approximately 200 people.
Although internet access is slow in Wangkatjungka, the call to protest against the Government’s threat to close up to 150 communities started there thanks to family support, and then spread nationally and now globally. “We knew that all our family were on Facebook, so what we did, we just set the page up and started sending out messages throughout Facebook and that is how most of our family knew,” Ms Bieunderry said.
“And then other communities started to jump on Facebook and started realising what the Government [was] going to do to us in the remote communities.”
#SOSBlakAustralia has since emerged, connecting people, communities and organisations with similar interests and concerns through the Twittersphere. “I want it to go into the ears of Tony Abbott, that’s where I want it to go,” Mr Bieundurry said………
Throughout the Kimberley, the threat to close up to 150 remote Aboriginal communities has raised both fear and anger. At Wangkatjunga, there is disbelief that the next wave in a long history of dispossession may soon hit.
The State Government has not stated which communities may close, sparking fear across the state………http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-30/protest-against-forced-closure-aboriginal-communities/6431558
Australian Capital Territory could become Australia’s Silicon Valley of renewable energy
ACT pushes to expand its renewable energy industry http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-pushes-to-expand-its-renewable-energy-industry-20150501-1mxt2w.html May 1, 2015 – Clare Colley Reporter at The Canberra Times The ACT could become Australia’s Silicon Valley of renewable energy development and a test site for new 
technology as it moves towards reaching its 90 per cent renewables target by 2020.
At the centrepiece of a new strategy to expand the renewable energy industry in the ACT is a $1.2 million Renewable Energy Innovation Fund collected from private companies as part of the government’s 200 megawatt wind auction. Continue reading
Medical warning on radiation risks in unnecessary CT scans
Less is the new more: choosing medical tests and treatments wisely The Conversation,Tammy Hoffmann A/Prof Clinical Epidemiology, Bond University; NHMRC Research Fellow at The University of Queensland Chris Del Mar Professor of Public Health at Bond University29 April 2015 “……Not so long ago, getting an x-ray for acute back pain was the norm. Although it’s now known that they don’t help most cases, they are still used far more frequently than is necessary.
Acute non-specific low back pain is a very common problem that, most of the time, gets better without any treatment. We are not sure anything, except staying active, helps it resolve faster.
X-rays are only helpful to diagnose the rare causes of acute back pain such as cancer (spread from some other origin), infection (very rare nowadays), osteoporotic fractures in elderly folk, or exceptional narrowing of the spinal canal. Most of these have some clinical indications that doctors look out for.
X-rays not only have little to contribute, they have downsides too.
First, they detect problems that may not be relevant (such as disc-space narrowing) and can lead to more investigations, such as computed tomography (CT) scans. Rarely does anything detected from the x-rays or the further investigations contribute to the better management of the condition and resolve a person’s back pain faster.
Second, x-rays themselves are directly harmful: accumulated doses of radiation increase the risk of cancer. While the doses are very small for plain x-rays, they are much higher for CT scans…….
One move comes from government. Last week federal Health Minister Sussan Ley ordered a review of Medicare item numbers to prune away activities funded from the public purse that are useless.
Another initiative, launching in Australia this week, comes from the clinical professions themselves: the Choosing Wisely campaign. It aims to encourage a conversation between clinicians and patients about tests, treatments and procedures that may provide little or no value, and which may cause harm.
The Choosing Wisely campaign first launched in America in 2012 as collaboration between the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, Consumer Reports and nine medical speciality societies. Each society developed a list of five treatments, tests or services that were commonly provided but whose necessity should be questioned and discussed.
The campaign has expanded, with 70 societies now participating. Thirteen countries have adapted and implemented Choosing Wisely…….
These lists are not just for clinicians. As we recently wrote on The Conversation, our research showed most people overestimate the benefits and underestimate the harms of tests, screens and treatments.
These unrealistic and overly optimistic expectations often result in patients asking clinicians for tests and treatments. Some of these are unnecessary and will provide little, if any, benefit and may cause harm………http://theconversation.com/less-is-the-new-more-choosing-medical-tests-and-treatments-wisely-40756
This week’s Nuclear Notes, from Mia Pepper
Mia Pepper , Beyond Nuclear 30 April 15 Last week the Federal Government gave conditional approval to the Kintyre uranium mine proposal on the edge of Karlamilyi National park. You can still send a message to the minister even though he’s made the decision here online action supporting Parnngurr’s. You can read the minister conditions here – which basically says they need to resubmit everything before they can start mining – reaffirming our frustration that everything we looked at through public review was a draft and could change as it goes through the DMP assessment. An article about this in the NW Telegraph is attached.
Also this week we saw the Mineral Council of Australia push for the Government to reconsider nuclear power as they also celebrated the $4 million gift to Climate denialist Bjorn Lomborg (*sigh). The South Australian Royal Commission has released papers for comment please have a look and make comment – if anyone is keen we’d love volunteer help to look through a make comment on behalf of CCWA, ANAWA or WANFA. Can pick your choice of org. We have computers, internet, photocopiers and phones to assist you in doing this.
Last week the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty Conference was opened in NYC – some strong statements have been made about the humanitarian cost of war and nuclear weapons, and calls to ban nuclear weapons. Unfortunately Australia is not one of those countries. Can see statements from Austria and
Mexico. Reaching Critical Will have put together this great little briefing book on the NPT, for a short read on background and demands for this conference. Yesterday there was a great action against US warships in Fremantle with Dr Death, the doomsday clock, Baloney Abbott and the CWA *concerned womyn anarchists – thanks to all involve for a very fun, engaging and peaceful protest.
The World Uranium Symposium in Quebec has now been and gone – check out the very inspiring declaration from the Symposium.
And remember to tune in to Understorey – and the Radioactive Show this week for all the latest nuclear and peace news.
Even the pro Nuclear Royal Commission admits the threat of the nuclear industry to precious groundwater
Groundwater a significant issue: nuclear royal commission, IN Daily, 
Adelaide Indpendent News, 30 April PETER GILL | 30 APRIL 2015 The potential impact of a nuclear waste storage facility on South Australia’s groundwater systems is one of the “significant issues” that need to be addressed in any consideration of expanding the nuclear fuel cycle, according to the royal commission.The second issues paper published by the royal commission says the siting and operation of a waste storage or disposal facility must take potential environmental impacts into account.
“In addition to the management of radiative exposure, a significant issue is the potential for the contamination of groundwater sources.
“Addressing that issue requires an understanding of the current frequency, flow and volume of surface and ground waters. “Management of water resources from sourcing and storage will be required if such a facility were to be sited in South Australia.
“Also significant is the potential risk of land contamination at handling, storage and disposal sites.
“Aside from its ecological impact upon animals and plants, contamination of the environment has implications for the health and safety of humans who use those resources.”
The issues paper, entitled Management, Storage and Disposal of Nuclear and Radioactive Waste,was released last week and followed the royal commission’s first public forum in Mt Gambier. Similar forums will be held in Port Augusta today (Thursday 30 April), Port Pirie tomorrow, and Berri on 5 May………http://indaily.com.au/business-insight/2015/04/30/groundwater-a-significant-issue-nuclear-royal-commission/
Minerals Council pushes for overturning of Australia’s environmental laws
When Oscar Archer spruiked on ABC Radio National for then entire nuclear chain to be set up, he left the first and most important step as a little addition near the end of his spruik. That was the necessity of overturning Australia’s Federal and State environmental laws. The Nuclear Lobby now takes this up
Review emissions target, nuclear ban: Minerals Council The Minerals Council of Australia has called for a review of the ban on nuclear power and warned that Australia’s post-2020 emission-reduction target cannot be properly formulated without extensive economic modelling……
Western Australia ready to gamble with the radioactive uranium industry
The uranium lobby is one of the nation’s most powerful.
The State Labor Opposition carries on that it supports a uranium ban however this is hogwash. It was former Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s Government, helped along by Gary Gray and Martin Ferguson, who talked up uranium mining no less than Bob Hawke did, and who negotiated with India. State Labor despite its promises at its annual conferences will never reinstate the ban on uranium.
Western Australia ready to dice with uranium & radiation, The Stringer by Gerry Georgatos April 26th, 2015 “…….Yesterday, the Federal Government ‘green 
light’ welcomed in a uranium mine in the Pilbara. There are now four uranium projects in advanced development stages. The Government will sell the underwriting of revenue and jobs but it is their mining chums who will get rich not the Australian nation – but the burden of any radiation leaks will be borne by the Australian people.
Mining companies are investing huge fortunes in research, exploration and development projects for the mining of uranium. Nuclear energy is not just touted but will be the energy fuel of the future. Previous and incumbent Australian Governments have signed off uranium export deals and not just with India.
Western Australia has four uranium mining projects in the advanced stages leading to their establishment – Kintyre, Mulga Rock, Wiluna and Yeelirrie.
For now, they are mostly by the communities – Homelands – of First Peoples. The communities are being told that jobs will be waiting for them at the uranium sites. The uranium sites are being sold as world’s best practice – Continue reading
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about
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PETITION – To: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Government
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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