Australia to pay high price if it dumps the carbon tax
The Australia Institute also argues that it could take until 2018 for the Coalition’s direct-action policy to fully come into effect and begin to reduce emissions, if dumping the carbon tax is held back until 2016.
‘As the length of time around the uncertainty [on carbon pricing] grows, so does the cost,” the report says.
Dumping carbon tax ‘could take five years’, The Age, Tom Arup, August 22, 2011, IT COULD take a Tony Abbott-led Coalition government until 2016 to axe Labor’s carbon tax if it is forced to go to a double dissolution election, left-leaning think tank the Australia Institute claims.
In a discussion paper to be released today, the institute argues the Coalition would have to work through several years of parliamentary process to build a double-dissolution election trigger to dump the carbon tax via a joint sitting of Parliament and replace it with its direct-action climate change policy.
The institute also says the lengthy political fight would result in significant uncertainty for industry in making investment decisions, pushing up costs especially in the electricity sector. Continue reading
1250 km walk as Western Australians protest against uranium mining
WA uranium protest to cover 1250km, Narelle Towie , PerthNow , August 21, 2011 ANTI-URANIUM protesters will begin their 1250km march from Wiluna to Perth today in their fight to have mining of the ore banned.Walk Away From Uranium Mining protesters will travel through two proposed uranium mining sites – in Wiluna and Yeelirrie – before arriving in Perth nearly a month later on October 27
Since the Barnett Government formally overturned a ban on uranium mining in November 2008, there have been dozens of exploration applications submitted in WA….
Three proposals, including BHP’s Yeelirrie, Mega Uranium’s Lake Maitland and Toro Energy’s Wiluna Lake way project, are advanced enough to begin production within the next few years.
WA Senator Scott Ludlam, who will take part in the march, said WA should joining a growing list of countries around the world, including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Greece and Ireland, who were walking away from nuclear power.
“This is an extraordinary moment for our state and for the future. The nuclear industry is in decline around the world and public awareness of the dangers of uranium mining and nuclear power is growing,: Mr Ludlam said.
“This march is a powerful statement from Western Australians who do not want uranium mining in WA and who do not want their state to support the nuclear industry in any way.” http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/special-features/wa-uranium-protest-to-cover-1250km/story-e6frg19l-1226118950758
Australian teachers for Japan – in irradiated areas?
Australian teachers in Japan may be placed too close to leaky nuclear reactors, Liam Walsh ,The Courier-Mail August 20, 2011 A LEADING Japanese recruiter of teachers from Australia is placing recruits closer to leaky nuclear reactors than recommended by Canberra’s radiation safety agency.
The move by the Japanese Government-sponsored JET program reflects the gulf between what Japanese and other nations’ authorities constitute a safe distance……The program confirmed to The Courier-Mail that 31 new JET participants from English-speaking nations were offered placements within 80km of the nuclear plants. Three who took up the offer were Australians, JET said.
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency recommends Australians keep at least 80km away from the reactors.”As a precautionary measure … Australians within an 80km zone from the Fukushima nuclear power plant (are recommended to) move out of the area,” an advisory guide says….”The US had made a similar recommendation in accordance with the standard guidelines of their Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”
JET’s explanation document details that it might place participants closer to reactors than advised by foreign governments.– http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/australian-teachers-in-japan-may-be-placed-too-close-to-leaky-nuclear-reactors/story-e6freooo-1226118370859
Japanese women in Sydney host holidays for Fukushima children
In Japan they cannot go outside without masks, without worrying about radiation. Even in school at PE time, they have to stay indoors.
“So [here in Sydney] they are so happy to walk around, go to the beach, and be free without radiation.”
Fukushima children swap fear for fun, ABC 702 Sydney, Monique Ross, August 17, 2011 A Japanese woman living in Australia is helping children living in the shadow of the Fukushima nuclear crisis forget the worries plaguing their region – if only for a little while.
Many parents sent their children away from Fukushima in the aftermath of the March disaster and life has also changed for those who remain, with outside play heavily restricted. While watching the continuing crisis unfold from her home in Sydney, Yukiko Hirano decided to form the Sydney Rainbow Stay Project.
The program takes children away from the nuclear fears that hang over their lives in Japan and brings them to Sydney for a home-stay holiday. Continue reading
Australia’s Northern Territory seeking to have 20 renewable energy hub towns
Energy hubs planned for outback, NT News, ALYSSA BETTS | August 19th, 2011, PLANS are afoot to execute one big leap for Territory-kind-renewable energy hubs to free the bush of the tyranny of distance, diesel and degraded roads. Chief Minister Paul Henderson wants each of the 20 Territory growth towns to become independent energy hubs, using, in particular, solar technology. He is in Canberra for a Council of Australian Governments shindig and will today pitch the vision. Continue reading
Nuclear energy a dead cat, as solar will take over
Is nuclear an option? It is difficult to see how the nuclear power industry will cope with falling solar prices and increased perceptions of risk following the Fukushima accident. Solar and wind power will soon put the nuclear power construction industry out of business.
Solar energy is vast, ubiquitous and indefinitely sustainable. There will never be a major solar accident, there’s minimal waste disposal issues, and we will never go to war over solar energy.
Solar will force coal and nuclear out of the energy business The Conversation, by Andrew Blakers, 18 August 2011, A solar energy revolution is brewing that will put the coal and nuclear industries out of business. Solar is already reaching price parity with coal in many parts of Australia. In contrast to coal and nuclear, solar is fully sustainable and safe. Solar is now an established industry that is growing very rapidly. Continue reading
Social Impact Bonds – a way for Aboriginals to remain on their land
Indigenous Australians deserve an opportunity to help themselves. Some might want a mining job, most do not. Some welcome the ongoing industrialisation of their country, but many think there must be a better way. An impact bond is one way to offer more control to indigenous people over investments in their future. There is risk, of course, but the greater risk is that we continue down the same sorry path we have been on for decades.
A Bran Nue Way ahead, SMH Patrick Read ,Michael Dodson/ IanGill, August 17, 2011“………….The reality is that many indigenous Australians want to remain on their land. They want to lead productive lives caring for their country, not digging it up. To its credit, the Commonwealth already invests in programs – such as indigenous protected areas (IPAs) and Caring for Our Country – that employ indigenous rangers in recognition of their unique knowledge of the land and its cultural and natural resources. Continue reading
with the goal of a nuclear free Asia, Australia should engage with North Korea
We need to engage with North Korea, THE AUSTRALIAN, Danielle Chubb August 18, 2011“……….The fact US Northern Command believes the Taepodong-2 rocket is incapable of reaching US territory (let alone Australia) notwithstanding, the North Korean nuclear crisis is seen as evidence of a government whose goals and ambitions seem insusceptible to usual diplomatic routes, run as it is by a man with whom one can clearly not negotiate. Rather than reminding ourselves of the many ways in which North Korea is different to us, we need to begin our conversations with a recognition of what we have in common. Yes, North Korea deserves our condemnation. However, recent history shows us that treating North Korea as an exceptional case has not served us well.
We have had a string of policy failures and little progress has been made towards either disarmament or non-proliferation. It is time to move past the notion that treating North Korea as a legitimate negotiating partner is akin to a form of appeasement.
Our Foreign Minister, rather than describing the North Koreans as “detached from reality”, as he did during the July ASEAN Regional Forum in Bali, would do well to start talking about lifting the visa ban that prevents North Koreans from coming to Australia for cultural and educational programs. Calling a country’s policies “irrational” is actually an admission that we don’t understand their rationale.
Such understanding is gained through interaction, not isolation. There are no quick fixes to the “North Korea conundrum” and moral posturing will not get us far. On the back of spectacular policy failure after spectacular policy failure, it is time to look with new eyes at this country that sits in the centre of northeast Asia.
Australia needs to open its doors to North Korean citizens and government employees, for it is not until we recognise that North Korea is a state made up of real people with real fears about their national security (well-founded or not) that we will be able to come some way to crafting a more intelligent and innovative response to the North Korea nuclear crisis and eventually achieve the end goal of a nuclear-free Asia…http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/we-need-to-engage-with-north-korea/story-e6frg6ux-1226116930716
Australia’s Channel 9 TV 60 Minutes- courageous program on Fukushima
Aussie 60 Min and Kaku: Fukushima and Chernobyl Radiation In All Of Us Asian Week, BY ARTHUR HU – AUGUST 14, 2011 As usual, US media is carrying next to zero coverage of the continuing nuclear mess as now radiation is affecting rice, mushrooms, hay, beef, tea, fish, seafood, sewage, playgrounds, compost, firewood, and now they can’t even drain swimming pools that are contaminated with fallout. …Urgent threat of Climate Change to Western Australia
Report: Act now on climate to save WA TV Channel 9 News, 16 Aug 11, A report by the Climate Commission has predicted up to 28,900 coastal homes in Perth and Western Australia’s southwest will be flooded by the end of the century due to rising sea levels.
The Climate Commission will release a report on Tuesday titled The Critical Decade: Western Australian Climate Change Impacts. The report forecasts sea levels on WA’s coast will continue to rise at double the global average, impacting significantly on WA’s coastal infrastructure and eroding the state’s iconic beaches…….
WA’s declining rainfall and higher temperatures are also expected to have serious implications on agriculture and urban water supplies in the southwest, the report reveals. Climate Commissioner and author of the report, Professor Will Steffen, says WA’s economy, coastal infrastructure, biodiversity, mining infrastructure, agriculture and tourism industries are all vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate.
“We are more certain of the climate change risks for water resources for southwestern WA than any other part of Australia,” he said…. Professor Steffen said the risks had never been clearer, which meant action had never been more immediately necessary.
“This is the critical decade. The decisions we make this decade will determine the severity of climate change impacts our children and grandchildren suffer,” he said…. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8286068/report-act-now-on-climate-to-save-wa
Independent MP Tony Windsor urges Australia to fund research into solar energy
AUDIO . http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3293145.htm Windsor backs renewable energy future, ABC Radio AM Ashley Hall reported this story on 16 Aug 11 “….TONY WINDSOR: What’s happening in these other countries is that there is basically a consensus that something has to be done. Let’s formulate the best way of getting there. Let’s take some risks in terms of research. Let’s engage with the corporates and the scientists and get people working towards a new future and I think it is terribly exciting…..
(solar tower – Seville, Spain)
A Christian Climate Change Believer Puts the Case for Australia’s Action on Climate Change
How do climate sceptics respond to the cloud of witnesses for global warming? By denying the full body of evidence…
A carbon price will mean a rise in household budgets but there will also be compensation in the form of tax cuts or payments. Ninety percent of Australians will actually see compensation higher than the price increases.
As a general rule of thumb, a household with a combined income of less than $100 000 will probably be better off under the carbon pricing scheme.
Eternity 16 Aug 11, John Cook a leading campaigner on climate change and, yes, a Christian too, puts the case for taking action.”…….Just as an Old Testament judge required multiple witnesses, scientists look for multiple sources of evidence. Our understanding is considered robust when scientists have found independent measurements all pointing to a single, consistent conclusion.
On the question of global warming, natural witnesses are found in our climate. Warming is directly measured by thermometers scattered across the globe, which find that the two hottest years on record were 2005 and 2010.
In addition, we have many natural thermometers painting a similar picture. Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are dissipating at an accelerating rate, shedding hundreds of billions of tonnes of ice every year. Scientists are observing tens of thousands of species shift towards cooler regions. Arctic sea ice is melting faster than even the worst- case predictions. Even tree-lines are shifting in response to warming temperatures.
Liberal and Labor politicians lobbying for Marathon uranium company
Marathon calls in political heavyweights for Arkaroola compo fight, Adelaide Now, Russell Emmerson ,August 15, 2011 EMBATTLED uranium explorer Marathon Resources now has five former MPs arguing its Arkaroola compo case. It has three former federal Labor ministers, one former federal Liberal minister and a former state Liberal MP associated with it as lobbyists or sitting on its board.
The company announced last week it was hiring commercial law firms Kelly & Co and Arnold Bloch Liebler – which has previously represented James Hardie, VISY Group and Patrick Group – to explore “options” after the State Government announced it was banning all mining in the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary in July.
But while it declared its legal moves to the market, Marathon has also upped its activity in the professional lobbying arena. It has retained ALP lobbyist John Quirke since at least December 2009 but has added two more voices to its coterie since the State Government announced its ban.
Former state Liberal MP Graham Gunn declared he was representing Marathon Resources in late July and Bespoke Approach – comprising ALP heavyweight Nick Bolkus, Liberal heavyweight Alexander Downer and Ian Smith – declared its interest last week.
Former federal ALP minister Chris Schact sits on the Marathon board as a director but does not represent the company as a lobbyist. The state’s Lobbyist Code defines a lobbyist as a person lobbying on behalf of a third party client. As a director of Marathon Resources, Mr Schact does not fall within the definition…..http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/marathon-calls-in-political-heavyweights-for-arkaroola-compo-fight/story-e6frede3-1226114793615
Australian power companies skimmimg money from renewable energy schemes
A mean, green power scheme, Daily Telegraph, Geoff Chambers August 15, 2011 GREEDY power companies are using a federal government green scheme to skim cash from customers already struggling with increased bills.
The state’s biggest electricity utilities recently blamed price hikes of up to 18.1 per cent on the demand to buy green credits. Attempting to justify why electricity prices needed to rise by that much, the energy retailers said they would be required to pay $40 for every solar certificate issued to customers.
Instead, they are only paying $19 market rates for those certificates, virtually pocketing the difference, about $50 per family.
Fluctuations in the green credit market have pushed prices from the government standard $40 to just $19. Energy retail wholesalers are buying up green credits, obtained through rooftop solar panels and energy-efficient hot water systems, directly from solar installers, electricians and plumbers at lower rates.
TruEnergy, AGL and Origin Energy all lifted their bills to pay for green credits bought from small businesses.
Climate Change opposition spokesman Greg Hunt has called for a national solar summit to fix the solar industry “chaos” and blamed Labor’s energy policies for mammoth bill increases.
“It’s resulted in higher electricity prices and Labor is doing nothing to help people with their skyrocketing power bills or small solar businesses who’ve been caught out by this scheme and are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Mr Hunt said. A spokesman for Minister Greg Combet said he would not use his legislative powers to change the $40 price…..http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/a-mean-green-power-scheme/story-e6freuzi-1226114799464
Common sense about ionising radiation and CT scans
breast tissue in women and ‘young’ cells in children are more sensitive to radiation…….Universally, MRIs and ultrasounds – which do not use radiation – are increasingly being used as an alternative to CTs where appropriate.
When you are faced with the prospect of undergoing a CT scan or another sort of imaging, here are some questions to ask and steps to take:
- Ask your referring doctor to outline the risks and benefits, and whether this test will change the way you are treated.
- Ask if there are alternative tests or methods that use less radiation but are as effective.
- Keep a record of the scans you have had and discuss this with your doctor. Avoid unnecessary duplicate tests.
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant before having a scan.
- Educate yourself by accessing the many very good online resources for more information
- If you are still unsure, seek a second opinion.
CT scans and radiation, ABC by Pamela Wilson, 12 Aug 11, Every year, more CT scans are being ordered in Australia. They provide valuable information to guide medical care, but they come with a dose of radiation. Should we be worried? Continue reading
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