THE MELTING ARCTIC IS RELEASING POISON, DISEASE AND NUCLEAR WASTE
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THE MELTING ARCTIC IS RELEASING POISON, DISEASE AND NUCLEAR WASTE https://futurism.com/the-byte/melting-arctic-releasing-poison-disease-nuclear-waste JUNE 17TH 19__DAN ROBITZSKI_Wakey Wakey
As rising temperatures cause Arctic ice to melt, it’s freeing many things that we would be better off keeping trapped. Alongside the ancient fossils now peeking up from the disappearing permafrost lie frozen toxins, nuclear waste, and enough sequestered carbon to double the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere today, according to BBC News. It’s a dire situation — failing to address global climate change has turned the Arctic into a ticking time bomb. Based on current fossil fuel usage, 70 percent of Arctic ice will be gone by 2100, but there will be more immediate effects as it thaws, according to the BBC story. Swedish Nuclear Waste Management, which stores nuclear waste for Sweden, Finland, and Canada, depends on permafrost to safely trap its spent fuel. The Doomsday Vault, a giant repository for plant seeds, also relies on a frozen Arctic. Dangerous diseases such as the Spanish flu, smallpox, and even the bubonic plague also lie dormant in the permafrost ready to spring back to life as temperatures rise. The solutions to the melting Arctic problem are the same as for the rest of climate change — decarbonize and cut emissions as quickly as possible. “The actions taken by the international community will have a substantial impact on just how much carbon will be released and how much of the permafrost will thaw,” Woods Hole Research Center scientist Sue Natali told the BBC. “We need to keep as much of the permafrost as we can frozen. And we do have some control of that.” |
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Chernobyl workers are adopting the site’s contaminated dogs, but not all of them are safe to pet
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Chernobyl workers are adopting the site’s contaminated dogs, but not all of them are safe to pet, Business Insider ARIA BENDIX, JUN 19, 2019,
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New explorer for rare earths in W.A. – doesn’t mention processing, or radioactive wastes
The 10GW solar vision that could underpin Northern Territory future — RenewEconomy
The NT’s untapped economic potential could be realised through large-scale investment in solar energy, a new BZE report has found. The post The 10GW solar vision that could underpin Northern Territory future appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via The 10GW solar vision that could underpin Northern Territory future — RenewEconomy
Copper and gold turns to renewables, OZ Minerals to power site with solar, wind and storage — RenewEconomy
OZ minerals will use a hybrid solar, wind and battery system to power its Carrapeteena Copper-Gold Mine in an effort to reduce diesel costs. The post Copper and gold turns to renewables, OZ Minerals to power site with solar, wind and storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Coober Pedy powered by 100 per cent renewables – most of the time — RenewEconomy
Coober Pedy hybrid grid operating at world leading 70% share of renewables, and at 100% wind and solar for more than half the time. The post Coober Pedy powered by 100 per cent renewables – most of the time appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Coober Pedy powered by 100 per cent renewables – most of the time — RenewEconomy
June 19 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “Renewables Are Winning The Economics Battle Against New Coal And Gas, Stunning Study Shows” • Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported that renewables are now the cheapest form of new electricity generation across two thirds of the world. Five years ago, they were cheapest in only 1% of the world, according to BNEF. [ThinkProgress] […]
South Australia’s “other” big battery is earning money, and keeping the lights on — RenewEconomy
The second big battery in South Australia, which can do things the Tesla big battery cannot, releases its first performance report. The post South Australia’s “other” big battery is earning money, and keeping the lights on appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via South Australia’s “other” big battery is earning money, and keeping the lights on — RenewEconomy
Home solar, battery quotas revealed as Victoria prepares to reopen subsidy — RenewEconomy
Victoria government details cautious, coordinated roll-out of home solar and batteries rebates, as the Solar Homes scheme prepares to reopen in full in July. The post Home solar, battery quotas revealed as Victoria prepares to reopen subsidy appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Home solar, battery quotas revealed as Victoria prepares to reopen subsidy — RenewEconomy
Cheap wind and solar, and “people-powered” revolution to kick out coal — RenewEconomy
Bloomberg NEF says people-powered revolution in rooftop solar and battery storage, along with low cost wind and solar farms, will drive coal out of Australia’s grid. The post Cheap wind and solar, and “people-powered” revolution to kick out coal appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Cheap wind and solar, and “people-powered” revolution to kick out coal — RenewEconomy
NSW Budget: Coalition misses opportunity to invest in state’s energy sector — RenewEconomy
Government investment in clean energy projects could improve budget bottom line, as well as helping to tackle climate change. The post NSW Budget: Coalition misses opportunity to invest in state’s energy sector appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via NSW Budget: Coalition misses opportunity to invest in state’s energy sector — RenewEconomy
Fast transition to renewables would be cheaper and reduce coal ramping risks — RenewEconomy
Modelling shows that a faster transition to a high renewables grid would be cheaper and more efficient than a slow transition. The post Fast transition to renewables would be cheaper and reduce coal ramping risks appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Fast transition to renewables would be cheaper and reduce coal ramping risks — RenewEconomy
South Australia to unlock hidden value of big batteries in storage tender — RenewEconomy
South Australia storage tender to focus on unlocking battery storage value streams not recognised by Australia’s electricity market. The post South Australia to unlock hidden value of big batteries in storage tender appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via South Australia to unlock hidden value of big batteries in storage tender — RenewEconomy
Australians’ support for nuclear plants rising – but most don’t want to live near one
Essential poll finds 44% of Australians support nuclear power plants and 40% oppose them
Australians are slightly more inclined to support nuclear power plants than oppose them, but a clear majority of voters do not want to live near one, according to new polling.
With nuclear power making a return to the national political agenda, a new survey from Essential finds 44% of Australians support nuclear power plants, up four points since the question was last asked in November 2015, and 40% oppose them.
But asked whether respondents agreed or disagreed with the statement “I would be comfortable living close to a nuclear power plant”, only 28% agreed and 60% disagreed.
The new survey comes as some members of the Coalition are pushing for an inquiry into the viability of nuclear energy and the federal energy and environment ministers have left the door open to lifting Australia’s ban on nuclear power as part of a review of environmental regulations.
During the recent election campaign Scott Morrison insisted he had no plans to reverse the current ban on nuclear energy, after earlier suggesting he could be open to it if proposals stood on their own two feet.
While the internal positioning within the Coalition is nascent, influential industry groups such as the Minerals Council of Australia have been lobbying to overturn the ban. In the event the Morrison government ultimately proceeds with a legislative effort to end the prohibition, it is possible it could get the numbers in the new Senate even if Labor and the Greens oppose the shift.
The Australian Conservatives senator Cory Bernardi told Guardian Australia: “I’m all for it” – although he said he was not supportive of either a carbon price or government subsidies to make nuclear technology economically viable.
Bernardi said parliament should remove the ban and then let proponents determine whether power plants were viable or not.
The Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff said it was possible the micro-party, which has two Senate votes, could support ending the nuclear ban. “We don’t have a closed mind on this, but we are a long way from having an open one,” he said. “I’m not there yet, but that’s not to say we won’t get there in the future.”
Griff said if any change was to be made it would need to be accompanied by appropriate safeguards and regulations to ensure safety and public confidence, and he said he was not sure Australian voters favoured the change.
The returning Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie is yet to flag her position publicly on a range of issues but in 2015 said: “Apart from hydro, the only way to decarbonise energy is to move very quickly to nuclear. And it’s about time we move to that option.”
The Switkowski review concluded that Australia could establish a nuclear industry, and nuclear power plants – which don’t emit carbon pollution – could make a useful contribution to Australia’s abatement task, but setting up the industry would take between 10 and 15 years. That review also concluded nuclear energy would not be viable without a carbon price.
A more recent inquiry in South Australia, while supportive of the industry, said a nuclear power plant would not be viable in the state even under carbon pricing policies consistent with achieving the well below 2C target agreed in Paris in December “because other low-carbon generation would be taken up before nuclear”.
Separate to the renewed nuclear debate, the mining giant BHP has submitted a plan to build a new tailings dam at South Australia’s Olympic Dam uranium mine within months.
Dave Sweeney, nuclear campaigner for the Australian Conservation Foundation, said: “Any increase in the footprint of Olympic Dam would mean an increase in the complexity and cost of future clean-up and rehabilitation.
“Cleaning up a uranium mine is never easy and always costly. BHP must be required to ensure there is the dedicated financial capacity to fund this clean-up work. It cannot be allowed to become a future burden to the SA community.”
The new survey from Essential says a majority of the sample 54% believe nuclear energy would be a reliable energy source for the future (28% disagree) and almost half the people in the survey, 47%, think nuclear would before better for the environment than coal-fired generation (30% disagree).
A majority, 63%, think having a nuclear industry in Australia would create skilled jobs, with 22% disagreeing. Even though nuclear energy is expensive, just over half the sample, 51%, think nuclear would help lower power prices (26% disagree).
John Howard established a review of nuclear power in the run-up to the 2007 election.
Deaths that have occurred due to Chernobyl nuclear accident – estimates range from 4,000 to 27,000
Derby Telegraph 16th June 2019 A Burton woman who grew up close to the Chernobyl nuclear plant has told
how families knew little about the disaster and where told ‘everything was
fine’ by the authorities. While she was at school, youngsters were given a
series of tablets but were never told what they were for; only later did
she learn they were to deal with radiation caused when a reactor exploded
at the nuclear plant in 1986. Elina Oliferuk, 32, was born in October 1986,
in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, just six months after the catastrophic
nuclear accident near the city of Pripyat.
Estimates of the number of
people who died due to Chernobyl range from 4,000 to 27,000 according to
the Union of Concerned Scientists, although Greenpeace estimates that
between 93,000 and 200,000 people died as a result of the disaster.
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton/chernobyl-woman-story-ukraine-burton-2978192
1 This month.
Australians deserve the truth
about
AUKUS – https://aukuspublicinquiry.com/
Australians deserve the truth
about AUKUS
PETITION – To: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Government
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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