Hillary Clinton’s and Julia Gillard’s unconvincing spin about Solar Energy
But are Clinton and Gillard serious? I doubt it. The giveaway, as always, is the funding. Australia is investing $50 million in the project……. enough to transform the world’s energy supply and prevent climate change? I doubt it….Such a project needs billions, not millions.
More solar spin – Daily Telegraph Mark Mann , November 07, 2010 According to US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, speaking in Melbourne yesterday: “We [the US and Australia] have a common goal of making solar energy competitive with conventional sources by the middle of this decade, 2015,” Continue reading
BUSTING THE NUCLEAR SPIN – theme for November
The nuclear industry is, in reality, in quite a mess. As French, American, South Korean companies scramble to sell nuclear power to the “Third World” – the industry stalls at home. The nuclear emperor’s new clothes are starting to be revealed to the world.
So – loads of money pour into this desperate sales pitch – while it becomes ever clearer that the nuclear industry is expensive, dangerous, and produces long-lasting toxic wastes – for which there is no storage solution.
Meanwhile – technologies for energy efficiency, and renewable energy get cheaper and more practical. And – renewable energy can be operated both as large scale projects on the grid – or as small-scale decentralised forms – very suitable for developing countries.
New South Wales govt promotes coal, cuts back on renewables
“The more [greenhouse gases] you emit, the more subsidies you get.”……..
Canary in the NSW coal mine Business Spectator Giles ParkinsonPublished , 2 Nov 2010 Even as the NSW government is cracking down on subsidies for renewable energy generation such as rooftop solar, it is ramping up the level of subsidies provided to its coal-fired power stations Continue reading
Corporate front groups continuing campaign of climate change denial
Books such as Merchants of Doubt by science historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway have detailed how front groups for the fossil-fuel industry have been waging an orchestrated, well-funded campaign against climate science and climate scientists for more than two decades.
Professional climate change deniers’ crusade continues – 02 November 2010 – New Scientist, In the media and the courts, the battle to undermine climate science and its researchers hasn’t let up, warns climatologist Michael Mann Continue reading
USA elections: will this lead to Sarah Palin in charge of nuclear weapons?
It is almost beyond belief to imagine the fair finger of Sarah Palin accessing the nuclear button but as Commander in Chief, that would indeed be her position.
THE ELECTION, Huffington Post. Helen Caldicott, 28 Oct 10, This is seen by many as a highly contentious mid-term US election, and not just for the people of the United States. Continue reading
Australian Liberal MP wants “An Inconvenient Truth’ not shown in schools
The 2006 documentary, about former US vice-president Al Gore’s campaign to educate citizens about global warming, was a box-office success and won two Academy Awards.But Liberal MP Dennis Jensen, a well-known climate sceptic, is unhappy about its possible inclusion in the curriculum.”It’s a very popular work of fiction,” – Dr Jensen
MPs at odds over An Inconvenient Truth in school curriculum THE AUSTRALIAN, AAP * October 27, 2010 11:50AM FEDERAL MPs are divided over the proposal that a controversial climate change documentary be included in the national school curriculum.The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority reportedly has said An Inconvenient Truth had a place in modern history studies and English. Continue reading
New jobs in renewable energy for 10,000 Indian villages
10,000 villages to get power from renewable energy sources, The Hindu :Sujay Mehdudia, 27 oct 10, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday announced that 10,000 remote villages across the country would be electrified with renewable sources by March 2012 under an innovative initiative that will also generate employment.
“We will provide electricity to 10,000 villages at a cost of Rs. 500 crore by the end of the current plan period,” Dr. Abdullah said, while addressing a press conference to mark the start of the Delhi International Renewable Energy Conference (DIREC) here……… The Hindu : News / National : 10,000 villages to get power from renewable energy sources
Newcastle project for new solar energy technology
The main advantage of the technology is that, unlike current solar thermal plants, it can be used in areas with no water, which are often the sunniest places on the planet.
Magic of mirrors, Newcastle Herald, BY MATTHEW KELLY27 Oct, 2010 It is used to power jet engines, now the same principle of converting compressed air into energy will produce enough electricity for up to 200 houses.CSIRO’s energy centre at Mayfield West has become home to the southern hemisphere’s biggest Brayton cycle project, which uses only the sun and air to produce electricity. Continue reading
Renewable energy favoured by American voters
Americans in general are waking up to the possibilities of renewable energy sources and are ready to support positive change in energy legislation in the upcoming elections. ..
US Voters Warm Up to Renewable Energy Ecoinstitution, October 26, 2010 by z1nemo “….It looks like elections this year will hold good news for renewable energy. In a recent poll of voters conducted by Public Policy Polling for the NRDC Action Fund it was found that the majority of voters were in support of an energy bill with strong ties to renewable sources. Continue reading
Ionising radiation found to be a greater cancer risk
a new study reveals that the hazard may be greater in adults than previously believed……..our results [now] show that for a middle-aged person around 50 or so, that risk came out to be twice what the standard models had predicted.”….
Radiation May Be a Greater Cancer Risk for Adults Than Doctors Thought, TIME , By Alice Park , October 25, 2010 From the sun’s ultraviolet rays to the weak cosmic exposure we get on plane flights to the screening tests that doctors recommend, our bodies are constantly bombarded with small but relatively consistent doses of potentially cancer-triggering radiation. Continue reading
Australian govt to try mediation to get nuclear waste dump on to Aboriginal land
a representative from other clans, Mark Lane Jangala, has launched a Federal Court challenge against the Government and the land council to try to stop the dump.
Nuclear dump parties to enter mediation, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Anna Henderson, 26 Oct 10 The Federal Government and the Northern Land Council have agreed to mediate with Aboriginal clans who oppose a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory. Continue reading
Suppression of information on nuclear radiation
The passage of the Atomic Energy Act in the US empowered that State to control, to the point of prohibition, public discussion of relevant information……The bulk of the world’s population, East and West, suffered from an imposed ignorance about the nature of nuclear weapons and radiation……
Radio-phobia Paul Langley’s Nuclear History Blog, 25 Oct 10, “……… the Soviet Union built an elaborate, multi-layered system of denial and deception, the main elements of which included the restriction of access to nuclear facilities and personnel, strict information protection measures, an enhanced counterintelligence posture, and technical countermeasures……” Continue reading
Decentralised solar air conditioning system
Solar air conditioning for your home | All Cooling
Systems , October 20th, 2010 by coily Use the sun to cool your home or office will provide great cooling, savings and is environmentally friendly, this systems does not use the grid…….. Continue reading
Renewable Energy Powered Desalination Plants
U.S. based Engineering For The Earth‘s Aeolus system require minimal wind speeds and can produce drinking water for communities of up to 500 people per unit. The only additional energy input required is for telemetry, which can be supplied via small solar panels.
Wind Powered Desalination With A Twist Renewable Energy News, 22 Oct 10, With potable water becoming an increasingly scarce resource in some countries, governments are turning to solutions such as desalination. An energy-intensive process, desalination has been made “greener” through the use of renewable energy. Continue reading
Radiation mishaps in Australia 2005 to 2010
The newly posted ACIRs show errors involving medical uses of radiation are the most common cause of critical incidents.
ARPANSA comes clean on annual reports Karen Dearne, The Australian, * October 22, 2010 DIAGNOSTIC radiology has emerged as the highest-risk area for medical radiation errors, Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 