Antinuclear

Putin says that Ukraine is a nuclear threat

Vladimir Putin labels Ukraine a nuclear threat, says he’s prepared to use force, THE AUSTRALIAN, 23 Feb 22, JACQUELIN MAGNAY, EUROPE CORRESPONDENT@jacquelinmagnay

Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced he would use military force “depending on the situation on the ground” to defend the rights of people in the separatist regions Donetsk and Luhansk.

After receiving approval from the Russian parliament to deploy troops abroad into Ukraine, Mr Putin labelled Ukraine a nuclear threat, telling the Russian people it wanted to lose its neutrality, join NATO and that it received military shipments from the West. Mr Putin also claimed that citizens in the Donbas region were being “abused”.

Crucially, Mr Putin recognised the independence of the entire Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and its broader territorial ambitions, not just the area controlled by Russian backed separatists.

About two-thirds of this area, known broadly as the Donbas, is currently in Ukrainian control.

Mr Putin said Ukraine was being “armed to the teeth” and that its nuclear threat was a strategic issue. He said Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky’s remark that he regretted Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons in 1994 was targeted directly at Russia.

“We have taken a note of them,” Mr Putin said………………….

Mr Putin said that Russia recognised the territory was now independent and warned the border region had been a threat to the Russian Federation………………………. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/vladimir-putin-labels-ukraine-a-nuclear-threat-says-hes-prepared-to-use-force/news-story/9ab06086551856b2847c06d91467cb26

February 24, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Britain’s nuclear submarine base at risk from climate change

 The United Kingdom’s nuclear military bases are being threatened by climate change, according to a recent report from the Nuclear Consulting Group. Paul Dorfman, the report’s author, said that the U.K.’s coastal nuclear infrastructure is vulnerable to flooding, due to rising sea levels and more frequent and severe storms.

“All of the models or predictions, all of the analysis, all of the data has really begun to run hot,” Dorfman told CNBC. “It’s good that people are taking notice, but it’s bad that this new data is showing us that we really do need to get our acttogether.”

The report also found that coastal flooding frequency is estimated to increase by between 10 and more than 100 in several European locations. In the United States, “the Pentagon has recently reported that
79 nuclear military bases will be affected by rising sea-levels and frequent flooding,” Dorfman added.

 CNBC 21st Feb 2022

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2022/02/21/faslane-britains-nuclear-submarine-base-at-risk-climate-change-is-to-blame.html

February 24, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Activist groups to rally against plutonium disposal project at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Adrian HeddenCarlsbad Current-Argus 23 Feb 22, A plan to dilute weapons-grade plutonium and then dispose of it at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, an underground repository for low-level nuclear waste near Carlsbad, drew concerns from around New Mexico amid fears transporting this stream of waste could risk public safety.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced in 2020 a plan that would ship the plutonium from the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas to Los Alamos National Laboratory where it would be chemically diluted.

The waste would then head to the DOE’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina for packaging before the final shipment to WIPP in southeast New Mexico.

This would mean the 34 metric tons of the waste on the way to its final resting place at the WIPP site could pass through New Mexico three times.

Cynthia Weehler, co-chair of Santa Fe-based activist group 285 All said this creates an unacceptable risk for local communities in New Mexico and 11 states she said the waste would travel through.  

285 All advocates for issues throughout New Mexico, focusing on U.S. Highway 285 which stretches from the mountains in northern New Mexico down into the high desert and oilfields of the southeast region, crossing into West Texas.

That’s why Weehler and a consortium of groups critical of WIPP and nuclear activities in New Mexico planned to deliver a petition to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham next week, asking the state’s highest government leader to oppose the plutonium project.

“Unless New Mexico says NO to WIPP expansion, other disposal locations will not be developed, and WIPP will always be the only dump site, which is not fair. New Mexico never agreed to bear the burden of being the only site,” read a portion of the petition.

Weehler said the petition has about 1,140 signatures as of Monday and is being distributed in the Santa Fe area and to communities along the transportation routes.

The petition will be delivered to the State Capitol at 11:30 a.m., March 1 during a press conference on the east side of the Roundhouse.  

“We don’t expect an accident to happen every week or every community, but when you increase the time and the shipments, we just see this as an inevitability over the time frame,” Weehler said. “It’s going to be a huge increase in shipments and it’s going to last almost this whole century.”

Weehler said Lujan Grisham should cite the legal agreement between the State and DOE that defines WIPP’s mission: to dispose of low-level transuranic (TRU) waste at the site near Carlsbad, streams she said were pre-determined by the agreement and should not be expanded.

If the DOE’s plutonium plan moves forward, Weehler said it would amount to an “expansion” of WIPP both in its mission and the volume of waste it would accept.

“The waste would be plutonium-contaminated material, contaminated during the production of nuclear weapons,” Weehler said. “This is something different (than TRU waste).”

WIPP officials said this was not the case…………………………….. 

The plutonium would be “down blended” meaning its level of radioactivity would be lowered so that the waste would qualify as TRU waste and could be disposed of at WIPP without adjusting federal policy.

“In order for it qualify, they’re having to dilute it. They’re having to adulterate it,” Weehler said. “This will never be acceptable. For them to say that is just unbelievable to me.” ……….. https://www.currentargus.com/story/news/local/2022/02/23/wipp-activist-groups-rally-against-plutonium-disposal-project/6878583001/

February 23, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

IPPNW medical students bike for the ban — IPPNW peace and health blog

Joint Statement by IPPNW Student Chapters in Germany, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, and Zambia Students in Maiduguri, Nigeria prepare to bike for the ban The weekend of 18 February, dozens of medical students in six countries — Germany, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, and Zambia — carried IPPNW’s mission to their local communities via regional bike […]

IPPNW medical students bike for the ban — IPPNW peace and health blog

February 23, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Cannon-Brookes tips $200m into debt fund, targeting renewables and batteries — RenewEconomy

Cannon-Brookes makes another major play into green energy transition, tipping $200m into fund financing renewables and battery storage projects. The post Cannon-Brookes tips $200m into debt fund, targeting renewables and batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Cannon-Brookes tips $200m into debt fund, targeting renewables and batteries — RenewEconomy

February 23, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nuclear Waste Services Sponsor New Scientist “Debate” ..balance? What balance!? — RADIATION FREE LAKELAND

New Scientist “Debate” New Scientist are holding a “Debate” on the future of nuclear waste in the UK – all the panel are deeply embedded in the process of delivery of this diabolic plan. There is as far as we can see no balance at all on the panel. Anyway the question I have asked […]

Nuclear Waste Services Sponsor New Scientist “Debate” ..balance? What balance!? — RADIATION FREE LAKELAND

February 23, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

U.S. deploys nuclear-capable F-35s to Europe on NATO mission — Anti-bellum

NATO Allied Air CommandFebruary 22, 2022 U.S. F-35s deploy to Germany supporting NATO The U.S. has deployed F-35s, maintainers, and support personnel to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany to bolster NATO’s defence during the evolving security situation. The jets arrived at Spangdahlem on February 16, 2022 to bolster readiness, enhance NATO’s collective defence posture and further […]

U.S. deploys nuclear-capable F-35s to Europe on NATO mission — Anti-bellum

February 23, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

February 23 Energy News — geoharvey

Opinion:  ¶ “Mustang Mach-E: The Classic Ponycar Grows Up” • If I like my V8 Mustang, will I still like an electric Mustang? Much ink has been spilled since the Mach-E appeared, but the question is still valid. Well, after a week spent behind the wheel of a Mustang Mach-E Premium AWD, I think I […]

February 23 Energy News — geoharvey

February 23, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nuclear news – week to 22 February

The news about events in Ukraine is just coming in. Vladimir Putin would have us believe that it is at last the end of the 8 years of war in the two self-proclaimed rebel republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.  But it could be the beginning of something worse.

Russia-Ukraine live updates: United States and UK expected to announce sanctions against Kremlin

Some bits of good news:   Replacing environmental despair with hope and action   ECUADOR’S SUPREME COURT: NATURE WINS OVER MINING  .

AUSTRALIA. 

Nuclear. Conservation Council of South Australia CEO Craig Wilkins discusses the Nuclear Waste Dump at Kimba. The writing is on the wall ‒ Kimba radioactive concerns move to South Australia’s political centre. Why nuclear submarines? Early closure of coal plant, battery and renewable developments – all spell the end for nuclear power hopes in Australia . 

 Holmes à Court: Climate independents offer chance to “fix Australia”.

Extreme weather and temperatures sound alarm on climate change

INTERNATIONAL.

The Ukraine Crisis Could Trigger a Nuclear Catastrophe – Tilman Ruff   Media forecasting on Russian invasion is just like religious cult leaders predicting the apocalypse.

Western Democracies Have Mutated Into Propagandists for War and Conflict. Headlines that cause wars.

Antarctica and Greenland’s polar ice shelves are melting from below

Public Opposition to Nuclear Power.

 Terrifying “nuke map” reveals danger zone if nuclear bomb dropped on YOUR city.

The supposed new rise in nuclear power and the uranium business is doubtful!

Reality check: The green inflation myth

Highest Number of Reactor Closures in a Decade.

ANTARCTICA.  Antarctica will likely set a record for lowest sea ice extent this year

  UKRAINE. Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Russian forces to ‘maintain peace’ in eastern Ukraine‘s two breakaway regions. Nuke Power at the Brink of Bankruptcy, War, Apocalypse. Standoff ending, Ukraine and Russia both claim victory? Today’s Crisis Over UkraineUkrainian Pacifists Say US, NATO and Russia Share Responsibility to Avoid War.  ACURA ViewPoint. Ambassador suggested that Ukraine might drop its bid for NATO membership – but he was quickly corrected. UK trained Ukraine military, including a thousand-strong neo-Nazi unit.     Aspects of the Ukraine crisis and some suggested solutions for de-escalation.

JAPAN. 

• I just wanted to live a normal life – Akiko Morimatsu.
•   IAEA ‘will not approve or oppose’ release of treated water from Fukushima plant, ‘responsibility of each country’.  UN to review Japan’s plan to release Fukushima water into Pacific  
•  Where to in 2045? Contaminated Soil from the Nuclear Power Plant Accident: Current Status of Interim Storage Facilities in Fukushima.  11 years after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, residents angered by the retreat from decontamination of the entire area.
•   Legal action on Fukushima nuclear disaster’s impact on health. 
•  . Latest look inside Fukushima ruins show mounds of melted nuclear fuel . Robots used to remove Fukushima’s highly radioactive used nuclear fuel, but they’re still problematic
• . Shadow of Hiroshima” at Fukushima nuclear power plant: Animation depicts history of nuclear power.

UK.

• Plutonium problems won’t go away. Brief summary of Engineering and Technology’s fine article on UK’s plutonium problem.
• Should the Taishan nuclear plant shutdown worry UK regulators?
• Update on the status of Britain’s Rolls Royce Small Nuclear Reactor project. Mini-reactor for Highlands -too “high cost and high risk” says Scottish MP Maree Todd.
• Bradwell nuclear project -dead in the water? – partly due to work of BANNG (Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group).
• Time is running out to save the Severn Estuary. Severn Estuary – internationally significant fish nursery – threatened by Hinkley radioactive mud. Legal challenge to license for EDF to dump radioactive mud in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary. Super Furry Animals call out alleged nuclear mud dumping at Hinkley Power Station. The case for Saving the Severn Estuary from the dumping of radioactive wastes.
• New report: Nuclear waste’s shifting sands on the lakeland fringe.
• Lord Truscott questioned the idea that a thermonuclear war with Russia would be an ”unwelcome outcome”.
• Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament marks 40th anniversary of Nuclear Free Wales Declaration.  
•    Julian Assange appeals to the Supreme Court.

CANADA. Michigan Senators Oppose Canadian Nuclear Waste Site Near Great Lakes. MPs and groups oppose hearings to license Canada’s first permanent radioactive waste dump. Proposed license for the NSDF includes no enforceable requirements for “waste characterization” — Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area. In-Depth: Dangers of Burying Nuclear Waste.

USA. 

• Damage limitation and US nuclear strategy . Are You Ready for the Big New War? You Damn Well Better Be.
• Nuclear power doesn’t belong in the Green New Deal. ‘Serious problems’ with NuScale’s proposed small nuclear reactors .
• USA’s Department of Energy (DOE) will give $6 Billion in a program to to stop uneconomic nuclear reactors from closing down.
• Beleagured Vogtle nuclear project delayed yet again. 
•  Opposition to Holtec dumping nuclear waste into Cape Cod Bay. 
• Maryland Couple Conspired to Sell Nuclear Secrets. 
• New USA Federal Report Warns of Accelerating Impacts From Sea Level Rise.  

IRAN. Why the Iran nuclear talks have stalled.

ISRAEL. The Iran Nuclear Deal Isn’t a Threat, and Israel Must Find a New Approach.

RUSSIA. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov informs UN chief about Russia’s talks with NATO on security guarantees.

EUROPE. Any missile launch may be perceived as nuclear strike amid tensions. EU greenwashing nuclear power: Short sighted &  counterproductive.  Europe’s nuclear power plants will need investments of EUR 500 Billion, so they need to be labelled ‘green” !   The EU’s ‘green taxonomy’ classification system – no longer fit for purpose, if nuclear and gas are included.

FRANCE . French government to subsidise EDF nuclear power company by another €2.1bn, to prop up its failing share price. French utility EDF will check auxiliary cooling circuits, or RRAs, at its 56 domestic reactors, after faults found. No end in sight as the French nuclear industry reduces its output.

BULGARIA. Nuclear project with Russian reactors shakes Bulgarian politics.

NORTH KOREA. Radiation fears after earthquakes at North Korea nuclear test site.

INDIA. Tamil Nadu people’s lives are more important than Kudankulam nuclear reactors: PMK.  Concern in Tamil Nadu over spent nuclear fuel storage at Kudankulam site .

BELGIUM. ENGIE Doubles Down On Renewables And Reaffirms Closure Of Belgian Nuclear Industry.

GERMANY. How dare Germany oppose USA over nuclear power !

February 22, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Russian forces to ‘maintain peace’ in eastern Ukraine’s two breakaway regions

On Monday, local time, a Biden administration official said, however, the area was already controlled by Russian-backed separatists and Moscow, in practice, and that Mr Putin’s decision to send troops he called peacemakers into the breakaway regions of Ukraine did not as yet constitute a further invasion that would trigger a broader sanctions package.

“This isn’t a further invasion since it’s territory that they’ve already occupied,” the official said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Russian forces to ‘maintain peace’ in eastern Ukraine’s two breakaway regions.

President Vladimir Putin has ordered his Defence Ministry to dispatch Russian forces to “maintain peace” in eastern Ukraine’s two breakaway regions, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, after he said Moscow would recognise their independence.

Key points:

• Vladimir Putin, joined by Russia-backed separatist leaders, signed a decree recognising the independence of the breakaway regions
• In his address, Mr Putin delved into history as far back as the Ottoman empire and as recent as the tensions over NATO’s eastward expansion
• French President Emmanuel Macron earlier said the US and Russian leaders had agreed in principle to hold a summit

The Kremlin decree, spelled out in an order signed by Mr Putin, did not specify the size of the force to be dispatched, when they would cross the border into Ukraine nor exactly what their mission would be.

Hours later, a Reuters reporter witnessed unusually large columns of military vehicles and hardware, including tanks, moving through Donetsk, the largest city of the self-proclaimed republic.

Mr Putin earlier signed decrees to recognise the two breakaway regions as independent statelets………………………

On Monday, local time, a Biden administration official said, however, the area was already controlled by Russian-backed separatists and Moscow, in practice, and that Mr Putin’s decision to send troops he called peacemakers into the breakaway regions of Ukraine did not as yet constitute a further invasion that would trigger a broader sanctions package.

“This isn’t a further invasion since it’s territory that they’ve already occupied,” the official said.

But, the official added, that a full invasion could come at any time.

The United States will continue to pursue diplomacy with Russia until “tanks roll,” another official said.

“Russian troops moving into Donbas would not itself be a new step. Russia has had forces in the Donbas region for the past eight years … They are currently now making decisions to do this in a more overt and … open way,” the official said……………………

In his lengthy televised address, Mr Putin, looking visibly angry, described Ukraine as an integral part of Russia’s history and said that the regions in eastern Ukraine were ancient Russian lands and that he was confident the Russian people would support his decision. 

Russian state television showed Mr Putin, joined by Russia-backed separatist leaders, signing a decree recognising the independence of the two Ukrainian breakaway regions, along with agreements on cooperation and friendship.

Under the two identical friendship treaties — submitted by Mr Putin for ratification by parliament — Russia has the right to build bases in the separatist regions and they, on paper, can do the same in Russia.

The parties committed to defend each other and signed separate agreements on military cooperation and on recognition of each other’s borders.

Their 31-point treaties also say Russia and the breakaway statelets will work to integrate their economies. Both regions are former industrial areas in need of massive support to rebuild after eight years of war with Ukrainian government forces.

The 10-year treaties are automatically renewable for further five-year periods unless one of the parties gives notice to withdraw. 

Defying Western warnings against such a move, Mr Putin had announced his decision in phone calls to the leaders of Germany and France earlier, both of whom voiced disappointment, the Kremlin said.

The UN Security Council will meet publicly on Ukraine at 2am GMT (1pm AEDT) on Tuesday, a Russian diplomat said, following a request by the United States, the United Kingdom and France………………………..

Australia condemns Russian actions as ‘unacceptable’

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia condemned Russia’s actions and would be in lock step with its allies on any sanctions.

Russia should unconditionally move its troops behind its own borders and stop threatening its neighbours, Mr Morrison said during a media briefing.

“It’s unacceptable, it’s unprovoked, it’s unwarranted … some suggestion that they are peacekeeping is nonsense,” Mr Morrison said.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese said Labor supports democratic nations in their condemnation of Russian aggression, adding Russia should “back off”. 

“We condemn Russia’s unilateral recognition of breakaway territories in the Ukraine. We respect the sovereignty of Ukraine. Russia should do that too, in accordance with international law.”…………………………………

EU will respond to ‘illegal act’ with sanctions against Moscow

According to another White House statement, Mr Biden had also discussed with France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Olaf Scholz “how they will continue to coordinate their response on next steps”. ………………..

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called out Mr Putin’s decision to recognise the separatist regions as independent as “a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine” in a statement read by his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric.

“The Secretary-General urges all relevant actors to focus their efforts on ensuring an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, preventing any action and statements that may further escalate the dangerous situation in and around Ukraine, and prioritising diplomacy to address all issues peacefully,” Mr Dujarric said.

…………….

With his decision to recognise the rebel regions, Mr Putin brushed off Western warnings that such a step would be illegal, would kill off peace negotiations and would trigger sanctions against Moscow.

“I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made a long time ago: to immediately recognise the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic,” Mr Putin said.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-22/putin-orders-russian-peacekeepers-ukraine/100849964

February 22, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

”Green nuclear” is a FRAUD.

calling nuclear power green or sustainable is plain simple fraud on the world and an attempt to equate something that is as harmful as nuclear reactor with a solar power panel or a windmill.

The nuclear industry lobby says that the cost of running a nuclear power plant is minimal and that over a life-cycle nuclear power is competitive. However, this is false again as decommissioning of a nuclear power plant can be more expensive than building one and that too, leaving a great deal of doubt over how safely the nuclear waste has been stored and whether it would not leak into the ground water or contaminate the soil over the course of tens of thousands of years that the nuclear waste will be radioactive.

EU greenwashing nuclear power: Short sighted &  counterproductive  https://mediaindia.eu/environment/eu-greenwashing-nuclear-power/  Extravagantly expensive, long gestation to mount & ever-present aftereffects. Media India, February 21, 2022By Ranvir Nayar /  New Delhi  In its rush to meet the carbon emission targets, European Union has adopted a highly controversial approach of wholehearted backing for nuclear power and the European Commission’s move to give green tag to nuclear power sets a wrong & dangerous precedent.

After nearly half a century of being home to the world’s most high profile anti-nuclear movement, it is fashionable to be nuclear in Europe again. From Heads of States to the bureaucrats sitting in Brussels, everyone seems to have new-found love for nuclear power.

Last week, French President announced that the French nuclear power giant EDF will build six new nuclear power plants at a cost of over EUR 52 billion, with the options for eight more. This decision marks the biggest investment plans in any European country for the nuclear power production in several decades.

The announcement came days after the European Commission announced new draft rules for certifying energy sources as per their carbon emissions in order to facilitate its transition to carbon-neutral future. Under the provisional rules, the EC has given a green label for nuclear and gas power plants. It sets out the criteria for classifying investments in nuclear or gas-fired power plants for electricity generation as ‘sustainable’, with the aim of directing ‘green finance’ with lower costs for the borrowers, towards activities that contribute to reducing greenhouse gases.

The third bit of news from the nuclear domain in the recent weeks was that Electricité de France (EDF), one of the biggest nuclear power producers in the world, was struggling to stay afloat. The firm had announced yet another delay in commissioning of its much-hyped and extremely controversial EPR, the so-called new generation of nuclear reactors that it has been trying to build at Flamanville in France, besides a couple of other sites in other countries. EDF said now the plant would be ready only in 2023 and the cost would go yet again up to EUR 12.7 billion.

Barely had the stock markets digested this bit of bad, but not entirely unexpected news, since EPR has proven to be the bete noire of EDF ever since it was conceived over a decade ago, than the French government announced that EDF ought to cut its electricity price down to the same level as rivals in the French market. This news sent EDF stock plunging by 20 pc.

This led the French government, which holds 84 pc equity in the troubled giant, to lend a big helping hand and last week, EDF unveiled a plan for injection of EUR 2.5 billion of fresh capital in order to avoid bankruptcy. The French government will provide EUR 2.1 billion for the same. In addition, to stay afloat, EDF will also sell about EUR 3 billion in various assets to raise cash for operations.

The recapitalisation is demonstration of a strong support by the French government to the nuclear powerhouse that has been struggling for survival over the past few years as it has overshot the cost and timelines of its projects.

But even with recapitalisation, 2022 will be especially difficult for EDF as it has to tackle corrosion issues in numerous reactors and with its debt already touching the skies at EUR 43 billion, EDF has to make heavy investments in new reactors as well as maintenance of its remaining ones. The problem of maintenance reflects in its forecast for power production this year as EDF has cut its estimates by nearly 15 pc.

Nuclear Power is anything but green 

The EDF saga is one of the many very good reasons why the EU erred in putting nuclear power in its green energy, even if provisionally. This has been opposed by several EU members, notably Germany and Austria, which have both forsaken nuclear power. The anti-nuclear lobby in the EU was also horrified by the manner in which the EU had handled the issue. It was on the eve of the New Year that the European Commission tried to slip in a major modification in how various power sources are labelled, by according the green investment tag to nuclear power.

If officials in Brussels had hoped that the media and others would be busy welcoming 2022 and hence its trick would get little attention, within hours they were proven wrong as the new government in Germany as well as numerous environmental groups rebuked the EC’s tag and asked for a withdrawal.

The EC’s tag had been in the offing for a while, especially as the European Union as well as rest of the world, struggles to meet the ambitious levels of cut in carbon emissions needed in order to achieve their targets under the Paris Agreement.

Not surprisingly, driving the move towards green tag for nuclear power is France, which is not only the biggest user of the power source, but also began its 6-month rotating presidency of the EU on January 1, 2022. However, French and EC officials ought to have realised that such a controversial move could not just be slipped in, especially as it came days after a new government in Germany, which for the first time has the Green Party as a major partner and which had actively campaigned for a total phase out of nuclear power in the country.

February 21, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

National Parks are for protection not development – new national poll

National Parks are for protection not development – new national poll

New national polling confirms that the vast majority of Australians do not want to see prime protected areas like National Parks compromised by commercial or large-scale development. Research undertaken by National Parks Australia Council, a coalition of state-based conservation groups, shows just how protective Australians are of our national parks and reserves.

February 21, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Antarctica and Greenland’s polar ice shelves are melting from below

Antarctica and Greenland’s polar ice shelves are melting from below

The largest ice masses on the planet contain so much water that they’re increasing sea levels around the globe as temperatures rise. Satellites can see these drastic changes from space.

February 21, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Cannon-Brookes’ unstoppable billions pierce the bubble of fossil fuel denial — RenewEconomy

Bid by Cannon-Brookes and Brookfield for AGL is an assault on the citadel itself, from the inside out, and we should all be cheering from the sidelines. The post Cannon-Brookes’ unstoppable billions pierce the bubble of fossil fuel denial appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Cannon-Brookes’ unstoppable billions pierce the bubble of fossil fuel denial — RenewEconomy

February 21, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment