Australia waits for carbon price and action on renewable energy
Germany is aiming to provide between 80 and 100 per cent of
its energy needs through renewables by 2050. …even more ambitious than increasing the amount of renewable energy in Germany is its plan to phase out nuclear power.
Germany’s green light for energy, Sydney Morning Herald, July 14, 2010 Europe is baffled as to why Australia does not do more, writes Mathew Murphy. “…… Germany is so far ahead of countries such as Australia in terms of renewable energy and attitudes towards climate change.
”Australia is seen as a highly polluting country, yet it has so much sun and renewable resources. My question for you is why does it not do more?”………
It is a question that baffles many Europeans and one that now lies at the feet of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Continue reading
Nuclear and fossil fuel lobby’s dilemma over carbon price
The big producers of fossil fuels and uranium, having safely disposed of Kevin Rudd and his resources profit tax, are now treading carefully on the Climate Change issue. They and the servile mass media did a good job on discrediting Climate Change – so we wouldn’t need to do anything about carbon emissions. The idea is to keep coal roaring on until it can be replaced by nuclear power.
The problem is that their pitch on nuclear power is that it’s the answer to 
global warming , (even though global warming isn’t supposed to be real or man-made). Therefore Australia would need a carbon price, shudder! a carbon tax!
No wonder Ziggy Spinowski’s being a bit quiet these pre-election days!
Australia’s nuclear lobby needs a carbon price – how embarassing!
John Howard asked Ziggy Switkowski in 2006 to look at nuclear power, and Switkowski told him it couldn’t happen without a carbon price. So, no nuclear power without a “great big new tax”………
No carbon price? You’re being conned | Crikey, 12 July, by Bernard Keane “……..The Coalition is dead keen on nuclear but won’t ever move without Labor giving them cover. But as Crikey showed in November last year, nuclear power is ludicrously expensive and needs massive taxpayer support, otherwise it costs a lot more to build and more to operate than renewables. And that’s before you figure out where to park the waste for a few hundreds of thousands of years or decommission reactors. Continue reading
Climate Change the deciding issue in Australia’s coming election?
Which way the Labor Party now decides to go on the environment could yet prove to be the issue that decides the election.
Climate a hot issue in deciding election date – The Canberra Times, 11 July, “……….Australia’s response to climate change remains an unresolved political sore that continues to rub with the Australian public.The popularity of the Greens is clear evidence that the environment remains an area of great concern to many voters, yet those who feel passionately about the need to act are at present being given little choice between the incumbent and the alternative governments………. Continue reading
Energy from solar getting cheaper than from nuclear
proposed new nuclear plants would generate power at a cost of 14 to 18 cents per kilowatt-hour. But commercial-scale solar developers are already offering utilities electricity at 14 cents or less per kWh.
(USA) Solar power now cheaper than nuclear in North Carolina FACING SOUTH 12 July 2010, While the price of solar photovoltaic systems has been falling for decades, the cost of new nuclear plants has been climbing — and a historic crossover point has been reached in North Carolina, where solar power is now cheaper than nuclear. Continue reading
Hottest year on record – 2010
2010 on track to be hottest year , ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Sarah Clarke, 10 July 2010, Last year was the second warmest on record, and this year could be the planet’s hottest, according to a forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology, which says uncharacteristically warm conditions are being felt across the northern hemisphere.
The northern hemisphere is experiencing record high temperatures.China has now issued a fresh heatwave alert after a week of soaring temperatures. Parts of Northern Africa, the United States and the Middle East are also experiencing scorching heat, with some regions recording above 50 degrees celsius. 2010 on track to be hottest year – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Abundant Solar energy going to waste is USA’s heat wave
America sizzles in heat, but remains unclear on tapping into it | BrighterEnergy.org, 8 July 2010, As much of the East Coast wilts in a heat wave at the moment, there seems to be a lot of solar energy going to waste. In Washington DC, the heat may be making it even more difficult for the nation’s politicians to work on an agreement that might make the most of all this free energy. Continue reading
Energy efficiency by far the number 1 low carbon answer
Such were findings of the Energy Efficiency Council (EEC) of Australia
Energy Efficiency: Twice the Impact of Renewables, Nuclear and Clean Coal. Combined. : TreeHugger, by Warren McLaren, Bundanoon, Australia 07. 6.10” The International Energy Agency estimates that energy efficiency will deliver 65 per cent of worldwide carbon cuts in the energy sector by 2020, and 54 per cent by 2030. This means that in 2020 energy efficiency could have almost twice the impact of renewable energy, nuclear power and clean coal combined.” Continue reading
Urgent need for 100% renewables to replace Hazelwood
Replace Hazelwood with 100% renewable energy Otway Ranges Climate Action (ORCA), 6/7/2010, The undersigned groups and individual climate campaigners support an inclusivecampaign to urgently Replace Hazelwood with 100% renewable energy, including baseload solar thermal energy (as presented in the Beyond Zero Emissions, Zero Carbon Australia 2020 report).
The undersigned:* strongly support the Replace Hazelwood campaign;
* support using renewable energy sources and increased efficiency to replace 100% of energy currently supplied by Hazelwood;
* particularly support the use of proven baseload Solar Thermal technology; and
* reject the use of fossil gas as an alternative fossil fuel…………
» Replace Hazelwood with 100% renewable energy Otway Ranges Climate Action (ORCA)
Nuclear power is no answer to Climate Change
Time is running out for the expensive, dangerous, dirty, nuclear power industry. The nuclear lobby’s desperate propaganda is that the industry is clean, and is a solution to global warming. That is a lie.
BHP and Olympic Dam uranium mining – beyond the laws
BHP Billiton’s power in Australia seems to grow daily.
BHP , Rio Tinto, Xstrata showed their power by intimidating Julia Gillard with the threat of renewing their $100 million advertising campaign. She had to act fast – hence the new, watered-down Resources Rent Tax.
Exempted from Australia’s planned new Resources Rent Tax, and with BHP people in its policy-making, along with their lackey, Martin Ferguson, BHP adds to its achievements in being beyond both Federal and State laws.
Water: In South Australia, BHP’s Olympic Dam uranium mining gets 37 million litres of water daily completely free of charge
SA Roxby Downs Indenture Act . This legislation allows the mine to operate with wide-ranging exemptions from:
Aboriginal Heritage Protection Act
Environment Protection Act
Natural Resources Act
Freedom of Information Act
Nuclear salesmen to run Australia’s new Resources Rent Tax
BHP Billiton and the uranium lobby are getting ever more powerful in policy-making in Australia.
Julia Gillard’s new Resources Rent Tax will be organsed by two top nuclear salesmen – Don Argus (from BHP BIlliton) and Nuclear Industry Minister Martin Ferguson.
Australia’s top science research body has strong links to BHP, and a chairman, Simon McKeon, who is a climate change doubter.
BHP, Climate Doubters, involved now in Australia’s CSIRO
A poor climate for debate at CSIRO, The Age, Paddy Manning, July 3, 2010 QUESTIONS are being raised about the closeness of BHP Billiton and the CSIRO under chief executive Megan Clark. A former technology vice president at BHP, Clark was appointed in late 2008 ……. there is concern about the imbalance in research funding at CSIRO, particularly in responses to climate change. Continue reading
Cane Toads a metaphor for uranium nuclear Australia?
Warmer Is Better: Invasive Cane Toads Set to Thrive Under Global Warming ScienceDaily (July 1, 2010) — As global warming threatens many animal species with extinction, the already destructive cane toad is set to flourish with increasing temperature, say Australian scientists. Continue reading
Visual guide to Zero Carbon Australia
The Oil Drum: Australia/New Zealand | Zero Carbon Australia by Phil Hart on July 2, 2010 The Oil Drum: “…..key graphics and information from the synopsis report by Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE). Note also the launch of the full report in Melbourne on 14th July.
1 This month
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