As for the nuclear lobby, it continues to battle bravely on, with propaganda about nuclear’s role in diagnosing COVID 19, and with promoting small nuclear reactors. Despite the nuclear industry’s present urgent problem with Coronavirus and staffing– or perhaps because of this, it is heavily promoting “clean”, “safe”, “cheap” nuclear power to Africa.
Global problems intertwine. Global heating contributes to epidemics of infectious diseases, by promoting the spread of disease vectors, like mosquitoes. There is no established link between covid-19 and climate change. However, the way we are altering the planet will make the spread of some diseases more likely. National responses to the coronavirus pandemic bring the opportunity to tackle climate change. To get a perspective – the climate crisis is a greater catastrophe than Coronavirus.
Some bits of good news – Another Roundup of Positive Updates on the COVID Outbreaks From Around the World. Earth’s Ozone Layer Continues to Repair Itself. (Also – if you can persevere with the video “Sam and the Plant Next Door”- it’s quite uplifting. )
Yes, I know, it’s bad form to be writing about anything but the virus. But here goes, anyway. As to climate change, the current dread of the coronavirus feels awfully like a familiar version of the anxiety that many of us have felt about the climate crisis. There’s a bit of a silver lining, in that global greenhouse has emissions have dropped.
The pandemic, and its consequence – social isolation, have stalled industry, and are expected to wipe out global growth in renewables deployment in 2020.
The nuclear industry has put a bold face on it, claiming that construction of huge new reactor stations are essential, so that workers at UK’s Hinkley Point C build, and USA’s giant Vogtle nuclear build can count as “essential” so the building programmes can stay on track. But, even more remarkable, the USA nuclear industry uses coronavirus to gouge $billions of tax-payer money.
Anyway, what should we do about this truly awful global situation? I can think only of Voltaire’s famous advice – given by his fictional character Candide – “we must go and work our garden.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcTsMirQoG0&t=8s
A bit of good news – Chinese Company Ships Crates of Masks to Italy , Covered in Italian Poetry: We Are ‘Leaves of the Same Tree’
Yes, this is an aberration from the real focus of this website.
BUT – we’re all going to have to deal with the time of pandemic.
The positives. Much kindness is going on – people offering help to the disabled, the elderly … the courage of health workers – the music – the balcony cheerers, the social networking, the chance to be still at home, and reflect.
The negatives. The vulnerable millions of the poor and crowded, in India, and elsewhere – the losses of jobs and income, the loneliness, the family stress, domestic violence, the “digital divide” – for those without smartphones and computers. The big corporations that will emerge as the winners.
Events happen so quickly. It becomes important to know what news is true, and what is not. It is something of a crisis in journalism, – which analysis, which interpretation is credible? I try to follow articles that make sense, and come from reliable writers and journals. Reported numbers vary a lot – of those infected with Cov19, of the deaths. For one example – USA infection numbers are almost certainly far greater than reported, because of inadequate testing. In interpretation, Donald Trump’s phrase the “Chinese virus” feeds in to xenophobia, an unfortunate theme when global co-operation is needed, to combat a global epidemic. Politicians exploit false conspiracy theory that the coronavirus is a bioweapon.
What action is needed? I found this article, with its excellent graph, a reliable guide. It helped me to conclude that the drastic shutdowns and “social distancing”will have awful results, but that inaction on coronavirus would be worse.
Some bits of good news – 10 Positive Updates on the COVID-19 Outbreaks From Around the World
Awareness about infectious diseases seems to have faded, up until suddenly just lately. It really is a long time between epidemics, and now we have a pandemic. The quickly spreading Coronavirus disease is being handled differently, according to each country. Climate scientist Paul Beckwith explains this, and warns on the necessity of urgent action. Another excellent resource is Corona Virus – With Dr. John Campbell. There is also the inhumane theory of “herd immunity”, being recommended by some as a strategy for Britain.
Climate scientists are bemoaning the slowness to take action on the coronavirus, but, even more so, the continuing slowness to act on global heating.
Coronavirus spreading – Federal and State governments taking appropriate action .P.M. Scott Morrison a bit slow to cop on, and, Trump-style, inclined to use the occasion as a PR pitch.
Australian defence officials and politicians, like Christopher Pyne, rotate quickly between government and weapons industry jobs.
The nuclear industry took the opportunity to push itself as an equality-for-women campaigner. Also, in the media, parents were warned to see that their girls got STEM skills (Science Technology Engineering Maths), or else they’d be jobless dropouts.
Now I too believe that these skills are important. But I deplore the downgrading of the so-called “soft” studies, that is going on at the same time. With the crises facing the world now, surely for decision-making, we need people with knowledge of languages, history, sociology, ecology. On the health effects of nuclear radiation, and of global heating, the “soft” sciences of biology and genetics are essential. And, as social commentator Eva Cox has pointed out, the occupations with social values of caring and nurturing ought not to be downgraded and poorly paid, in comparison with the techno world and competitive occupations with macho values.
While climate and nuclear threats are the focus of this newsletter, the reality is that the planetary mess is made of many interconnecting factors, in the unsustainable economy of “endless growth”. A big reminder – investigative journalism – Planet Plastic.
A bit of good news -Farming in the Forest: A Chance to Reverse 1,000 Years of Destructive Land-Use Practices
This week there’s quite a lot of news about nuclear weapons development. Nobody seems very interested – all same-same? Weapons anxiety fatigue? UN disarmament chief hopes upcoming conference will address current nuclear challenges. Some experts think that the subject should get a mention in the USA 2020 election race.
Part 1 of A Study of the “Report of the inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia” Australian Parliamentary Committee 2020. — The Industry Push to Force Nuclear Power in Australia.
29 February, Melbourne. Anti nuclear campaigners from South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Victoria met today, to discuss the progress of the movement. The Australian Conservation Foundation and Friends of the Earth were prominently represented, among other environmentalists, and representatives from indigenous groups, churches, human rights, and medical organisations.
There was an atmosphere of quiet optimism. The Federal Government, in its Inquiry into nuclear power, has concluded that conventional nuclear reactors are definitely not an option for Australia. Due to their escalating costs, and long delay in building, they are recognised now as a failed technology.
Another encouraging factor for the nuclear-free movement is the fact that Western Australian uranium projects at Kintyre and Yeelirrie are at a standstill, with little likelihood of going ahead.
The federal government’s plan for a radioactive waste facility at Napandee, South Australia faces hurdles, with its plan for dual facilities . Low level waste burial and above-ground temporary storage of intermediate level wastes do not meet standards for international best practice.
Participants returned to their home States with renewed confidence in their work of informing and encouraging local communities in seeking a clean, nuclear-free environment.
Of course, nuclear weapons tensions are always there, particularly as regards USA and Iran. However, when it comes to the so-called “peaceful nukes”, things are very quiet. All that continues is an endless stream of “journalism” promoting Small Modular Reactors (they leave out that unpopular word ‘Nuclear’). This hype resembles the early 2000s hype about the “nuclear renaissance’ and is sounding more and more hollow.
A bit of good news – All Australian Bushfires in NSW Have Officially Been Contained Thanks to Week of Heavy Rain. Australian Soldiers Are Using Their Time Off to Care for Koalas Displaced by the Fires.
There are many organisations worldwide, that are pushing for, and working on, action to slow or stall global warming. Global Optimism is the latest example, in which Christiana Figueres features, with her new book “The Future We Choose”
I never want to minimise the nuclear perils. But, it is a dying industry, and can look irrelevant as news about the climate crisis continues to be revealed.
CLIMATE – where to start? Combined environmental crises could trigger ‘global systemic collapse‘, scientists warn. Some climate modelling is now predicting an unprecedented and alarming spike in global temperatures — perhaps as much as 5 degrees Celsius. Ya know that things are getting serious when it hits industry and markets – The northern hemisphere winter has been unusually mild: That’s making life difficult for oil and gas traders,
As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics draw closer, the Japanese government redoubles its efforts to downplay any radioactive problems to health and safety . Fukushima is the location for the start of the torch relay, and for some Olympic events. But radioactive trash bags are a defining feature of the Fukushima landscape. And Japan now plans to release over a million tonnes of radioactive water into the sea from the Fukushima power plant, as the radioactive water continues to accumulate.
Westinghouse will acquire the Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear Systems and Services’ 11 locations in Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Surplus nuclear power has become an embarrassment. Inflexible baseload power no longer needed.
ARCTIC.Why Arctic glaciers are melting away at an accelerating rate.
Australia’s bushfires still dominate the climate news. Despite helpful rain, as of last Tuesday, 107 fires were still burning.-More extreme heat, and more fires, are predicted. Indeed, as I write, a new bushfire is reported, in Australian Capital Territory.
Still, Australia is far from the only climate story this week. Climate change could unlock new microbes and increase heat-related deaths. Deadly flooding and landslides are striking Brazil. Extreme weather is causing falling iguanas, rise of deadly spiders and swarms of locusts. And, no doubt of prime importance to “sensible” and “corporate” humans, Climate Change could blow up the economy and the banks aren’t ready.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the “Doomsday Clock” to 100 minutes to midnight, its closest to doomsday since it began ticking, due to nuclear proliferation, failure to tackle climate change and “cyber-based disinformation”.
Honeymoon uranium mine might restart this year, and pigs might fly. South Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young slams investment in South Australian uranium mine. Uranium prospects poor, but Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt and Northern Land Council agree on a new mine.
With apologies to Samuel Johnson and “MadMen” – “Nothing concentrates the mind like the prospect of the economy going bust ” Now, at the 50th anniversary meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, climate change is the top subject. While poorer countries for a decade or more have suffered extreme droughts, floods -the impacts of global heating, it has taken the extreme wildfires of a rich country, Australia, to make the world’s big business people now sit up and take notice.
The case of Australia is remarkable also, in that the wildfires’ consequences have affected an entire continent.
While the news media is now more awake up to the global heating crisis, thing are pretty quiet on the nuclear scene. The world continues to teeter on the nuclear war brink, and the millennials are apprehensive about this. On January 23rd, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will announce the 2020 time of the Doomsday Clock.
A bit of good news– Dutch Guy Famous for Cleaning Up Pacific Garbage Patch is Now Clearing the World’s Rivers Too
Antinuclear 