“Robust” a wobbly word for discussing nuclear industry?
The forthcoming visit of President Obama is indeed very low key in the Australian media. Amongst the issues to dicuss, we learn that the talk will be “robust”
“Robust” – another one of those Wobbly Words – that serve to obscure meaning – e.g meaning about possible plans for the US to Lease uranium from Australia, thus returning nuclear wastes to ….where?- well, of course – aboriginal land in the Northern Territory
Deliberate deception about “need” for nuclear waste on aboriginal land
In the item below, we learn that medical radioactive waste is negligible as a long term storage program, compared to nuclear reactor spent fuel waste. The radiologist kindly suggests that Martin Ferguson, (Australia’s Minister For Promoting the Nuclear Industry) is “confused”.
It sounds to me more as if Ferguson is determined to impose nuclear waste dumping on Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory – as part of the campaign to open up Australia to international nuclear waste dumping.
Ferguson peddling lies about nuclear medicine
Martin Ferguson is now pushing the idea that there must be a nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory if Australians want to have nuclear medicine
What utter nonsense! Sure – the nuclear wastes that originated at Lucas Heights in Sydney, and the medical radioactive wastes that exist in hospitals around the country – have to go somewhere. And that could be anywhere – e.g on Commonwealth land in South Australia, or perhaps on site at Lucas Heights.
One day, Australia and the rest of the world, will have to face up to the growing problem of medical radioactive waste. But to say that aboriginal land in the Northern Territory is the only solution, – that is just a straight-out lie.
Review- Australia:nuke waste dump, USA states’ opposition to nuclear industry
Australia: Nuke waste dump for aboriginal land, but opposition is growing.. S.A. govt to subsidise BHP’s Olympic Dam uranium mine, Rudd govt improves (we hope) Renewable Energy legislation.
International: While Obama rewards his corporate backers with $8 billion in nuclear loan guarantees, legislatures in 3 states knock back nuclear power- Vermont to close nuke reactor, West Virginia to retain no new nukes policy, Arizona refuses to include nuclear as “renewable”. Bloody political coup in Niger welcomed by uranium industry.
Australia: Nuclear Waste Dump, Obama Visit, Uranium Expansion.
It’s all happening in hyping the nuclear industry in Australia. Expensive advertising by the nuclear lobby (Environmentalists for Nuclear Power), big nobs promoting it (e.g. Bob Hawke), and Ziggy Spinowsky everywhere.
What great timing! Just as the Australian government plans to
put a radioactive nuclear waste dump on aboriginal land, President Barack Obama is to visit Australia to discuss uranium, while BHP Billiton is about to launch a huge expansion of its Olympic Dam uranium mine.
Let’s not forget that Australia is still signed up to the The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), by which as a uranium supplier, Australia would be obliged to take back radioactive waste from sales of uranium to the U.S.A..
(Australia is also obligated to take back a small amount of our own Lucas Heights radioactive waste from UK, – but that is not tied to uranium sales, and that doesn’t have to be on aboriginal land).
Why Rudd will put a radioactive waste dump in the Northern Territory
a few prominent white suits (living well away from the NT) could indeed see this as the beginning of a bonanza of taking in the rest of the world’sradioactive wastes.
Once again – it’s all simple politics. The Australian government is obligated to take back , within a year or so, radioactive wastes from UK – wastes that originated in Australia’s terrorist target – the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor.
There is no simple solution. Perhaps this relatively small nuclear waste dump could be situated at Lucas Heights, where it started, or perhaps it could join the existing radioactive waste at Woomera in South Australia. Then Lucas Heights could be closed, and that would be the end of it.
No such simple story, however, and in fact, no story at all, as it’s all decided very quietly – let the Australian public sleep on!
But – it must be the Northern Territory – they’re the only ones who cannot defy the federal government, – all the other States have the power to veto taking in nuclear wastes.
Anyway,a few aborigines could indeed see it as a good deal, getting a living standard equal to the rest of Australia perhaps – though the rest of us didn’t need to have our land turned into a radioactive waste in order to get that standard.
More to the point, a few prominent white suits (living well away from the NT) could indeed see this as the beginning of a bonanza of taking in the rest of the world’s radioactive wastes.
Review: Renewables, USA, Areva’s deals
Review: Australia: Practical renewable energy plan suggested, while govt pursues ETS policy. AREVA buys up solar company. Govt ignores calls for compensation for Maralinga vets. Ranger uranium mine still leaking radioactivity.
International: Obama about to announce loans to nuclear industry, while Wall St. avoiding the nuclear financial bottomless pit. Big antinuclear protest in UK. Germany Environment Minister firm on closing nuke plants. Areva buying up solar plants, but also joining South Korea in nuclear push – the week that has been
What a Damn Yankee Nuclear Nuisance!
(USA) Just as the nuclear idustry pushes for massive public money, for extending the life of its aging reactors and setting up new ones, along comes a pesky little bit of democracy!
Alone in the nuclear power world, the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant actually has to rely on the State Legislature to say yea or nay to extended its miserable radioactively leaking life. (Other U.S. States don’t have this “luxury” of controlling their ancient or new nuclear reactors.)
Oh dear, this leaky old ship could bring about the sinking of the whole nuclear power fleet in America. (Meanwhile government-run nuclear industries – France, China – etc – they don’t have this pesky problem of being financially or in any other way, accountable to the people.)
Australia’s climate suffers while our media is slack
To return briefly to last month’s theme of MEDIA – do Australians realise how slack our mass media is? The big polluters and nuclear lobby don’t need a conspiracy or even their continued high-powered spin to the media.
They can rely on the slackness of Australia’s mainstream media. For example, apparently Australia’s iconic love of “larrikinism” , (possibly combined with large journalistic ignorance of climate change), was enough for the National Press Club to give Lord Monckton the status of a serious scientist.
It is indeed a worry, when this (?) prestigious media event is used at best to give journalists a laugh, at worst, when the unscientific nature of Lord Monckton’s standing and claims are presented as serious.
Australian media lets the public down on Climate Change
This week – disturbing examples of two serious flaws in Australian mass media.:
1. Failure of journalists to do their homework. The two items below both illustrate this. Neither Fran Kelly of ABC Radio, nor Miranda Devine (The Age) bothered toask Lord Monckton any of the hard questions – about his own credibility as a scientist, or challenging his statements on Climate Change.
2. Not only does the mass`media seem to believe that they must give equal weight to ‘both sides’ of a story – this week they’ve gone further – not bothering to invite Australia’s scientific institutions to give their information on climate change.
It’s a worrying trend, when views like those of Lord Monckton are taken seriously by reputable journalists – (Climate Change as a front for a world-government conspiracy equal to Nazism)
Review- the nuclear week that has been
Australia: Climate denialists Monckton and Plimer touring Australia (wonder who’s paying for this tour?). Maralinga nuclear veterans must take their case to England. Tony Abbott calls for uranium sales to India, as India builds its nuke weapons arsenal. Australian Super decides that uranium is ethical enough. Point Lowly Action group trying to save iconic Great Australian Cuttlefish. ERA uranium shares and production fall. Govt considers airport scanning amid public ignorance on the issue.
International: Huge global renewable energy summit. France’s nuke industry embroiled in strife. Critical talks about Iran’s nukes. Germany in dilemma over mounting nuclear waste. Future very complicated for USA’s nuke industry. Colorado anti-uranium legal bid moves along. Revelations of Israel’s uranium tests on workers. Doomsday clock – slight improvement. USA – anti-uranium protest. Court action over depleted uranium in Hawaii. Protest against NASA’s radiation testing on squirrel monkeys.
Media under scrutiny – the need for vigilance
Christina Macpherson 5 Jan 2010 I was quite shocked at what happened in Australia over 2009, in the mainstream media’s coverage of Climate Change. Probably because of Australia’s peculiar media monopoly situation, it was easy for the anti-scientific point of view of the fossil fuel lobby to prevail.
The fossil fuel lobby’s extraordinary success was in creating an opinion climate of doubt and confusion about global warming.
This is a warning sign for Australia’s future. Thank goodness, we have the Internet, and many fine independent media and blog-sites. Australia’s younger generation has had a better science education, and they have access to independent media, as well as to the mainstream media, (which still does provide good scientific information, along with the anti-intellectual rubbish of the likes of Ian Plimer.)
Review of the nuclear year that has been
Review of the nuclear year that has been Christina Macpherson 5 January 2010
Australia: An extraordinary year in which Climate Sceptics were allowed to dominate much of the media, turning Australia into a curious outpost of anti-science. Pro-nuclear hype revved up, too – sometimes promoted as cure for global warming, but, inexplicably, also promoted by climate change disbelievers.
BHP Billiton put out huge but inadequate Environmental Impact Statement for its planned Olympic Dam expansion. Uranium explorations all over the place, especially in South Australia, as govt and mining industry try to manipulate aboriginal owners. Awareness of radiation effects at last leads to Maralinga veterans’ legal bid for justice.
International: While the nuclear hype went on, the facts were otherwise. France’s “flagship” new nukes are still struggling, under construction, and ramping up huge debts to AREVA. UK and USA governments struggle with the reality that only the tax-payer can pay the costs of nuclear power. State-owned nuclear industry – e.g France, Russia, China are not troubled by having to reveal the costs.
USA in a turmoil over where to put nuclear wastes, as Yucca Mountain dump plan is dumped. Revelations of illegal waste-dumping by UK and European countries were quickly glossed over in mainstream media. China is secretive about its nuke wastes, in earthquake areas, and imprisons nuclear dissidents.
The world waits for a resolution of Iran and its nukes, with fear of attack on Iran by Israel or the USA.. Middle Eastern countries seek nuclear power “for peaceful purposes only”, while India revs up its nuke power and nuke weapons, and everyone eyes Pakistan with trepidation.
Quietly, the anti-nuclear and anti-uranium movements built up momentum, along with strengthening indigenous rights movement, and a strong presence at Copenhagen. Impediments occur to the growth of the nuclear industry, including for example, quite a few legal victories in USA.
Review- Maralinga aborigines and vets, Copenhagen dud…
Review of the past week
Australia: poll shows Australian want renewable energy, not nuclear, and Australian Academy of Science agrees. Maralinga veterans join British vets’ legal action. Aboriginal victims’ health ignored, too, while Maralinga land returned to them. Climate sceptics continue to get media coverage, and John Howard joins Ziggy Sinowski in nuclear push.
International: China- France nuclear deal despite China’s bad record for secrecy and poor safety. Copenhagen a dud, but strong popular movement for action. Russia plans nukes in space. France’s nuclear electricity coping poorly in extreme weather. South African antinuke movement. Renewables going ahead in Scotland, and Taiwan.
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