The week in nuclear news

 

While I’m supposedly focussed on nuclear news, it is really madness to ignore climate.  The  biosphere is being dramatically changed by human activities.  Climate news has become ever more complicated.  Last week, I struggled to explain the complexity of the Arctic currents of warm air, their effects on the polar vortex, and the extreme cold in Northern Europe and America.

At the same time, climate change is heating up the southern half of the globe.

Rapid Sea Level Rise Possible as Ocean Floods into Antarctica at up to 400 Meters Per Year. Antarctica’s great ice sheet being eroded by warm water circulating underneath. Drastic action on fossil fuels is needed, as the Poles melt – with unpredictable consequences.

AUSTRALIA

Australia needs an independent National Environment Protection Agency.

The latest sally in the fight to further dumb down the ABC.

We should be outraged at the silencing of Julian Assange.

NUCLEAR. Submissions to the Australian Senate on process for siting of nuclear waste dump . Well, I think that this is a disgrace. Apart from the Terms of Reference being so weighted, and with the assumption that it’s a fait accompli that the proposed dump must be in South Australia – apart from all that – their handling of the submissions is odd indeed. For many weeks they published only 5 pro nuclear submissions. those 5 looked suspiciously alike – all coached by the nuclear lobby?

Now they’ve published 19 submissions – that would appear at first glance to be heavily weighted pro nuclear. (they did not publish mine, by the way).

New South Wales National Party rules out nuclear power plan. They distanced themselves from their Deputy Premier, John Barilaro, who spruiked for “new nuclear”. Barilaro, practically unknown as a nuclear advocate, was publicised, in his tax-payer funded jaunt to an American nuclear conference, billed  as “one of the biggest names in nuclear“. Barilaro is a stooge for the shadowy group “Nuclear For Climate”. (I will attach their map plan for nuclear reactors below this page). Labor MP Yasmin Catley calls for Premier Gladys Berejiklian to rule out nuclear power in New South Wales.

URANIUM-  Aboriginal traditional owners warn that Rum Jungle uranium mine rehabilitation is jeopardised. 20 years’ anniversary of Mirarr traditional Aboriginal owners blockade of Jabiluka.

Worrying changes to Gippsland mining plan – risk of radioactive pollution.

ENERGY– Monash family calls for coal power politicians to change the name of their group (Monash Forum)  Australian rooftop solar boom rolls on – 351MW in first quarter – and heaps more news at reneweconomy.com.au

INTERNATIONAL

Madeleine Allbright  on the global threat of fascism,  and Donald Trump

Chris Busby comments on the Skripal incident – Nuclear war an option?

Women, today and always, understand and fight the peril of nuclear war, nuclear pollution.

The world should be outraged at the silencing of Julian Assange.

The carbon footprint of huge digital data centres.

JAPAN. Powerful volcanic eruption at Mount Shinmoe, and more to come -ONLY 40 MILES FROM Sendai Nuclear power station.  The end for Japan’s expensive Monju nuclear fast breeder dream.  Closing down of Fukushima nuclear power plant has skyrocketed to US$75 billion.  Problems with local consent hang over Japan’s proposed nuclear station restarts. Tepco facing huge costs in Fukushima disaster, but still plans to help fund restart of Tokai nuclear power station.

NORTH KOREA   Kim Jong Un’s complete turnaround in tactics: will it result in peace, or not?   Experts reject Japanese claim about North Korea preparing for a new nuclear weapons test. North Korea nuclear missile ‘could reach UK within months’ – but Kim Jong-un ‘too rational’ to use them.

SOUTH KOREA. Researchers from 30 countries call for boycott of South Korean university, in campaign against lethal autonomous weapons.

UK.

•  Recovery of poisoned former Russian spy should help the police investigation. The Skripals and the unusual timing of Chemical warfare exercises near Salisbury.
• EDF says that proposed Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk may not be feasible.
• British Nuclear Test Veterans Update.
• UK’s secret air transport of nuclear wastes – a cause for concern.
• Serious flaws in “community consultation” process for selecting a nuclear waste dump site in Cumbria.
• UK Inspector General’s report on Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection 2017.

RUSSIA. The new arms race, as Russia tests its ‘Satan’ nuclear missile.  – Novichok A234 – The facts .

USA.

•  Donald Trump does not know what he’s doing, in lead-up to North Korea summit. Iran nuclear deal under threat, with Donald Trump’s new national security team.
• Could new U.S. tactical missile projects trigger a new nuclear arms race?  Nuclear lobby no longer touts Peaceful Nuclear Power – now it’s Essential for Nuclear Weapons.
• Massive subsidy plan for New York’ s nuclear power could be stymied by new evidence. FirstEnergy files for bankruptcy for its uneconomic coal and nuclear subsidiaries.
• Isle de Jean Charles – America’s first climate refugees to evacuate.

CANADA. Canada’s so-called “medical”nuclear research reactor finally bites the dust.

CHINA. China expanding its nuclear marketing overseas, with the help of Bill Gates.

TURKEY. Nuclear energy is not coming to Turkey quickly.  Cyprus to lodge complaint over Turkey Nuclear Power plant plans.

PAKISTAN. Submarines with nuclear weapons bring nuclear war closer for India and Pakistan.

MIDDLE EAST. Global nuclear power firms scrambling to market nuclear technology to Middle East countries.

FRANCE. Resurrected nuclear company Orano (formerly Areva) – still losing money-France’s EDF to spend 8 billion euros ($9.8 billion) by 2035 on energy storage.

BELGIUM. Belgium’s nuclear power to be ended by 2025.

SAUDI ARABIA. Crown Prince Bin Salman suggests war may happen between Saudi Arabia and Iran.  Inside the vast web of PR firms popularizing the Saudi crown prince.