After a while, the planned South Australian would by more aptly called “A Nuclear Abandonment Site.”
Paul Waldon Fight To Stop Nuclear Waste Dump In Flinders Ranges SA, 6 May 19, Promising new nuclear waste disposal method would be PERMANENT and would not require long dangerous transport
Could this be a solution for Lucas Heights nuclear waste? It would mean permanent, not just temporary, disposal , and it would mean dispoosal near Lucas Heights, NOT trekking the waste dangerously 1700 km to Kimba or Hawker.
We will provide an option for people not satisfied with existing options,” said Deep Isolation’s co-founder and CEO Elizabeth Muller. She pointed out the interim sites were not “deep geologic storage.”
They’re looking at being safe for decades,” Muller said. “They’re looking at temporary storage. We’re looking at disposal.”
David Lochbaum, former director of the Nuclear Safety Program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, has taken a seat on Deep Isolation’s advisory board.
“There are technical, legal and political challenges facing Deep Isolation, to be sure,” Lochbaum said via email. “I think their proposal could very well meet all these challenges.
“The spent fuel storage status quo is only worsening with time,” he said. “We need to find a solution before we run out of time to do so without harm.”
Startup promotes permanent nuclear waste storage via miles-long drilling, South Coast Today, By Christine Legere / Cape Cod Times, 4 May 19, A small startup company in Berkeley, California, with connections to scientists, university professors, industry experts and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs is marketing a method to permanently store nuclear waste, tapping advanced drilling technology used for years by the gas and oil industries.Storage of the highly radioactive waste would be permanent — unlike the options currently available around the world — and the method is being pitched as far less expensive than development of a deep geologic repository such as Yucca Mountain in Nevada. In New England, spent nuclear fuel is being stored on-site at the Maine Yankee, Seabrook, Vermont Yankee, Yankee Rowe, Pilgrim and Millstone nuclear plants. Continue reading
How Does the Olympics Clean Up? (Or, Is There an Olympics Without Cleaning Up?)
Under these circumstances, whether the unresolved issues of radiation, without appropriate treatment of nuclear power facilities, disaster victims lacking a place to reside, the forcible relocation of American army bases or the dispersal of the homeless, the Japanese media has relentlessly broadcast the Olympics.
“The Tokyo Olympics will take place in a state of nuclear emergency. Those countries and the people who participate will, on the one hand, themselves risk exposure, and, on the other, become accomplices to the crimes of this nation.”
THE OLYMPICS CLEAN-UP: FUKUSHIMA, OKINAWA, HOMELESSNESS 陳黃金菊05/05/2019 ENGLISH INTERNATIONAL MAY 2019 How Does the Olympics Clean Up? (Or, Is There an Olympics Without Cleaning Up?)
Young climate activist’s letter to Australia
‘I want my childhood back’: young climate activist’s letter to Australia, SMH ,By Bella Burgemeister, May 4, 2019, My name is Bella, I’m 13 years old and I’m a climate change activist and organiser……
My book – Bella’s Challenge – was published in 2017 and now all the schools in the South West region of WA have a copy! But there’s so much more to be done.
For most of my life, the major parties have done as little as they can get away with when it comes to climate change. Are we really that greedy that we can’t see the bigger, global picture?
Young people like me are the ones who will live with the consequences of inaction on climate
change.
So, when I see our Prime Minister tossing around a lump of coal in the Parliament, I know I have to fight back. When I hear both future potential future prime ministers say they support the Adani coal mine, I know I have to fight back.
When the state government here in WA opens up an area two-thirds the size of Tasmania to gas fracking, I know that I have to fight back. And I’m not the only one.
I’m just one of tens of thousands of kids across Australiagiving up part of their childhood to fight for our future because we have so little time to turn around this human made disaster.
We’ve got until 2030 to get serious – that’s just three more elections – so we can’t waste another term of government.
The School Strike for Climate youth have three simple demands:
2. No new fossil fuel projects, especially drilling in the bight and fracking
3. 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030
The last action, which I was so proud to help organise, saw almost 200,000 young people around
Australia march in over 100 towns and cities.
The Prime Minister used the Parliament to tell us to stay in school, and the opposition leader told us we should have done it on the weekend – surely, he knows, as a former union boss, what the point of a strike is. This time we want to send an even bigger message!
This Friday, May 3, was a national day of action to remind the major parties that this is a climate change election.
Our demands aren’t radical, they’re the very least that needs to be done. They will take effort, but aren’t our futures worth it?
I want to stop worrying about my future and I want my childhood back.
Bella Burgemeister is a WA high school student and one of the key organisers of the WA ‘Schools Strike 4 Climate’ actions. https://www.smh.com.au/national/i-want-my-childhood-back-young-climate-activist-s-letter-to-australia-20190504-p51k2i.html
Schoolkids take their climate message to the politicians. Abbott pooh poohs it.
The earth has survived many things’, Abbott tells children protesting against climate change inaction, SMH, By Laura Chung and Jenny Noyes May 4, 2019 Dark clouds threatened rain as schoolkids gathered outside the Sydney electorate offices of both Labor and Liberal politicians on Friday, but it didn’t dampen their message on climate change.Prime Minister Scott Morrison, former prime minister Tony Abbott and Labor infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese were among those targeted as part of the nationwide protest against climate change inaction by federal MPs.
The protest held extra potency in Manly, where Mr Abbott’s 25-year grip on the seat of Warringah is under threat from independent candidate Zali Steggall in a campaign centred on climate change.
Armed with homemade signs, about a hundred students, parents and grandparents marched on Mr Abbott’s Manly office, chanting the slogan favoured by Steggall supporters: “Time’s up Tony”……..
A group of students tracked Mr Abbott down in a local cafe after the protest and voiced their concerns to him.
He also told them he didn’t believe the “environmental catastrophe” predicted by scientists would come about.
“I’m not saying that there isn’t going to be some time in the future when, for whatever reason, things come to an end, but I don’t believe that modest increases of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations over the next few decades are bound to bring about the kind of environmental catastrophe that you seem to fear.”……
Another protester dressed up in costume as Scott Morrison and a blackened piece of ‘coal’.
Another protester dressed up in costume as Scott Morrison and a blackened piece of ‘coal’.
Labor wasn’t let off the hook either.
Students also took their climate message to infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese’s Marrickville electorate office too, with a focus on urging Labor to pull the plug on the Adani coal mine. A Bill Shorten costume also made an appearance. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-earth-has-survived-many-things-abbott-tells-children-protesting-against-climate-change-inaction-20190503-p51jts.html
Uranium production is declining
Quarterly uranium output decreases in Kazakhstan and USA, WNN, 03 May 2019 Kazatomprom’s uranium production for the first quarter of 2019 was 4% down from the same period in 2018 as the Kazakh company continues with its plan to reduce production. Meanwhile, US uranium production for the quarter was 74% down from 2018……
US production hits low
US uranium production in the first quarter of 2019, at 58,481 pounds U3O8, was down 83% from the fourth quarter of 2018 and down 74% from the first quarter of 2018, according to figures released on 1 May by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA)……. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Quarterly-uranium-output-decreases-in-Kazakhstan-a
UK MP deplores the danger of flying nuclear wastes from Scotland
Press and Journal 4th May 2019 Highland Green MSP John Finnie has expressed concern after three quarters
of a ton of highly enriched uranium was transported from Dounreay in
Caithness to America. He said: “The appropriate place for dangerous
material is secure storage and supervision by highly trained staff where it
was created, not transportation.
“Whilst pleased that this risky has been completed without incident, that we know of. “But before the authorities
on both sides of the Atlantic pat themselves on the back, they need to
reflect on the dangers they put communities in. “As was evidenced when a
ship which was transporting nuclear material in the Moray Firth went on
fire. As with oil and gas reserves, the message regarding nuclear waste has
to be ‘keep it in the ground’.”
WA rules out Lynas rare earths waste imports
WA rules out Lynas waste imports THE AUSTRALIAN, 5 May 19
Mines Minister Bill Johnston has rejected a request by the Malaysian government…. (subscribers only)
Vote Tony Out: Campaign hits streets as Steggall takes lead over Abbott — RenewEconomy
Zali Steggall takes commanding lead over Tony Abbott, with the former PM’s lack of interest in climate change cited as major factor. The post Vote Tony Out: Campaign hits streets as Steggall takes lead over Abbott appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Vote Tony Out: Campaign hits streets as Steggall takes lead over Abbott — RenewEconomy
May 5 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “Can Microgrids Really Bring Power To The Last Billion?” • After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico turned to microgrids for resiliency. Puerto Rico’s embrace of microgrids hints at a different energy future. Some of the 1 billion people around the world without electricity may finally get it without ever needing a central power grid. […]
Keating: Morrison “a fossil with a baseball cap” — RenewEconomy
Keating slams Morrison as a “fossil”, and while Paul Kelly’s music graced official Labor election launch, the man himself was signing at Bob Brown’s Stop Adani protest in Canberra. The post Keating: Morrison “a fossil with a baseball cap” appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Keating: Morrison “a fossil with a baseball cap” — RenewEconomy
Big batteries help Tesla lift storage revenue near 10-fold in Australia — RenewEconomy
Tesla says revenue from battery storage in Australia jumps nearly 10 fold in 2018 – thanks to its big batteries – but revenue from electric car sales fell. The post Big batteries help Tesla lift storage revenue near 10-fold in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Big batteries help Tesla lift storage revenue near 10-fold in Australia — RenewEconomy
Labour will establish South East Queensland community power hub — RenewEconomy
People living in South East Queensland will benefit from cleaner and cheaper renewable energy that will help cut pollution and the cost of power bills, with Labor’s plan to establish a Community Power Hub in the region. The post Labour will establish South East Queensland community power hub appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Labour will establish South East Queensland community power hub — RenewEconomy
Bank Australia becomes first Australian bank to purchase 100% renewables — RenewEconomy
Bank Australia signs PPA with Crowlands wind farm and installs rooftop solar to become first Australian bank to meet its 100% renewable energy target. The post Bank Australia becomes first Australian bank to purchase 100% renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Bank Australia becomes first Australian bank to purchase 100% renewables — RenewEconomy
Australia’s Liberal and Labor Parties on Climate Change – politics theme for May 2019
Federal Election: Whose climate change plan is better?
Shorten’s climate policy and why we don’t need to fear the Coalition’s ‘big scary numbers’ Guardian, Katharine Murphy, 2 May 2019
Scott Morrison wants voters to think that Bill Shorten is risky and reckless …
What’s the cost of not acting?
what Labor is saying is correct. It’s factual for this reason. Labor has set out the framework of its climate policies: the emissions reduction target, which is 45% (compared to the government’s 26%), and the various policy mechanisms to deliver that result.
But there is a fair bit of fine print missing because Labor wants to consult with stakeholders on final design before attempting to legislate the policy. …..
until we know the proportion of permits and a bunch of other things we don’t yet know – including what the Senate does to the policy if Labor wins – any number produced would be a guess. ….. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/02/shortens-climate-policy-and-why-we-dont-need-to-fear-the-coalitions-big-scary-numbers
Climate change costings that don’t count the cost of inaction are worthless, Guardian, Greg Jericho 5 May 19 We must demand better of our political parties – and there is no excuse for the media either,Just seven months ago the United Nations told the world that we have 12 years to limit the climate change catastrophe. It means that to keep global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels we need to cut carbon pollution by 45% by 2030 and down to zero by 2050. Twelve years. Actually scratch that – now it is 11 years.
Now ask yourself how often that has been raised during this election campaign?
At the start of the 2019 federal election campaign Scott Morrison put out a video where he was all dewy-eyed about the future, saying “the next 10 years are important to everybody at every stage of life”.
And yet not once – NOT ONCE – did he mention that the UN has given us 11 years to do something about a global catastrophe.
No, instead it’s all standard of living and nothingness statements that would get shot down by any decent advertising firm 
in the first meeting……..
Tony Abbott and his ilk – your time is done….
We need at a minimum a 45% reduction by 2030 and to get to zero net emission by 2050. So parties need to explain what they are going to do to get there and argue why their way is best.
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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