Renewable energy – Australia’s opportunity
Australia has larger potential resources of renewable energy than any other country. We have abundant sunshine, wind, geothermal and tidal power. The great positive is that we can harness these over the next decade or two to supply most or all of our electricity and perhaps also enough to run our transport systems. We might even be able to export renewable energy
Climate change: the biggest campaign gaffe, Sydney Morning Herald, Barrie Pittock, August 20, 2010 – Climate change is costing us now – and it’s both a challenge and an opportunity – but you wouldn’t know it from the election campaign. Continue reading
Folksy, narrow focus in Australia’s election campaign
The politicians, the big corporations and their lapdog media have successfully managed to con Australians into a narrow, navel-gazing view of politics.
Especially with the “town hall meetings” with the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Opposition leader, Tony Abbott – the campaign process has been transformed into a nice, folksy talkfest about each “real person” ‘s personal worries.
Oh for an “unreal person” – a good old-style political heckler – to bring reality into this.
I do not discount the genuine concerns of the community speakers. But each voter’s personal concern is not the whole story in this election.
The wider issues – climate change, pollution, nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear waste dumping – these issues also concern each voter. The fact that they are global issues does not make them irrelevant to this election. – Christina Macpherson 19 August
Renewable energy score – Australia’s election
Here’s how the parties stack up in terms of their major national commitments to renewable energy and climate.
Australia’s Election 2010 – Renewable Energy And Climate Change : Renewable Energy News, 19 August 21 is nearly upon us …Australia’s 2010 Federal Election. While climate change and renewable energy were major platforms in the last election and appeared to have top billing again from the two major parties during the initial stages of the 2010 election campaign; it has somewhat taken a back seat to other issues, leading some to ask – where’s the green? Continue reading
Nuclear power raised at Brisbane politicians’ forum
The issue of nuclear power as a clean energy fuel source stirred the candidates….Mr Bartlett explicitly rejected the idea
No debate dramas for Brisbane candidates, Brisbane Times, Tony MooreAugust 18, 2010 – Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott may have spent days bickering about another election debate, but there were no such problems for the three major candidates for the seat of Brisbane. Continue reading
Australia’s politicians hold back investment in renewable energy
“Australia has adopted a posture of being a follower rather than a leader,”
Australia’s `Depressing’ Clean Energy Policies Deter Investors – Bloomberg, by : James Paton // Aug 18, 2010 , The Arkx Clean Energy Fund’s managers are Australians who don’t have a dollar invested in Australia, a stance that’s unlikely to change after the Aug. 21 election. Continue reading
Australian scientist world leader in solar energy research
Professor Green holds the world record for solar cell efficiency – 25%, a level thought to be impossible.
Solar Scientist Takes Out Australia’s Eureka Prize : Renewable Energy News, 18 Aug, 2010, Some have hailed Professor Martin Green as the “father of photovoltaics”. That label has now been justified with Professor Green taking out the 2010 CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science. Continue reading
Northern Territory Labor MP says Muckaty nuclear dump far from certain
Labor’s Mr Snowdon says he is standing up for Territorians and there is no guarantee the dump will be at Muckaty.
Muckaty nuke dump not a done deal: Snowdon, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By David Coady, 17 Aug 2010. Federal Member for Lingiari Warren Snowdon has suggested that building a nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory is not a done deal. Continue reading
A noisy minority: Australia’s Climate Sceptics
It seems that the opinions of a noisy minority have been amplified by the media because of a love of conflict, the need to promote a false balance and partisan zealotry (the last one refers to you, Mr The Australian).
Australian politicians overestimate the electorate’s skepticism about global warming : Deltoid, August 14, 2010 , by Tim Lambert The University of Queensland has surveyed Australian politicianson their attitude to climate change: “Labor politicians are more influenced by scientists than Liberal/National politicians – 85 per cent of Labor politicians are highly influenced by this group compared to 44 per cent of Liberal/National politicians,” Dr Fielding said. Continue reading
Australia in the round the world electric vehicle race
Zero Race, for electric vehicles powered by renewable energy, will take competitors 30,000km across 16 countries in 80 days of driving…..”We expect our car to be by far the most energy efficient,”
All eyes on Trev in electric-powered race Jennifer Foreshew: The Australian August 17, 2010 IT has three wheels and a top speed of 120km/h, and it’s Australia’s entry in the first zero-emission around-the-world electric vehicle race. Continue reading
Australian Labor against nuclear power, Liberals vacillate
“For a few minutes after the election they said they were opposed to nuclear energy, now they are saying once again they [the Liberal Coalition] are in support of nuclear power,” she [Prime Minister Gillard] said.
Govt stands firm against nuclear power mygoodblog.com August 17th, 2010 Continue reading
Feed-in tariffs, tax incentives needed to fire up Australia’s Big Solar
In Spain, Germany and Italy, feed-in tariffs have driven massive growth in big solar. In the United States, loan guarantees coupled with tax incentives and renewable energy targets have driven growth. Along with the exiting renewable energy target (RET), these incentives should be adopted by whoever wins the federal election to ensure Australia meets its solar potential.
CLIMATE SPECTATOR: Big solar’s big potential, Business Spectator. John Grimes, 16 Aug 2010 This week, the Australian Solar Energy Society joined the Australian Conservation Foundation in calling for an additional 5 per cent of Australia’s electricity to come from ‘big solar’ by 2020. Continue reading
Huge potential for ocean wave energy in Australia
Ocean Waves Can Power Australia’s Future, Scientists Say – ABC News, 18 Aug 2010, SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Waves crashing on to Australia’s southern shores each year contain enough energy to power the country three times over, scientists said on Tuesday in a study that underscores the scale of Australia’s green energy. Continue reading
Review of the nuclear and climate week
Australian Opposition leader Tony Abbott informs us that global warming, climate change, have “stopped’.
Australia’s pathetically irrelevant election campaign could make you laugh, – or cry.
The Northern hemisphere has a record heatwave, Russia having 769 wildfires, 500 of which are in radiation trouble spots. As of August 16 wildfires stillsurrounded Russia’s top secret nuclear centre at Sarov.
In China, floods and huge mudslides occur, in Sichuan province – where China locates nuclear facilities and nuclear waste dumps.
What a week! and Australia’s media still prattles on about our pathetic, insular political leaders, and their myopic policies.
Long list of Labor and Liberal policy failures on nuclear issues
The government has failed to implement its policy of addressing radioactive waste management issues in a manner which is “scientific, transparent, accountable and fair”: Muckaty did not even make the short-list when scientific and environmental criteria informed a site-selection process in the 1990s.
Nuclear backflips and broken promises – On Line Opinion – By Bill Williams and Jim Green 13 August 2010 The Medical Association for Prevention of War and Friends of the Earth have produced a “Choose Nuclear Free” policy scorecard and analysis ahead of the August 21 federal election. www.choosenuclearfree.net The two striking features of our analysis are the long list of broken promises and backflips by the Labor Government, and the unwillingness of the Opposition to oppose. Continue reading
Greens refute Labor’s claim to lead on nuclear disarmament
the Greens said the federal government had failed to take decisive action on nuclear disarmament, pointing to its sanction of the exportation of uranium to Russia earlier this year.
Nuclear issues top of Labor’s agenda, Sydney Morning Herald, August 16, 2010 Nuclear disarmament will remain at the top of a re-elected Labor government’s foreign policy agenda, the federal party says…………. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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