Climate has to dominate this week’s news. It seems that it takes a 15 year-old schoolgirl, Greta Thunberg to best spread the message, the reality of the planet’s situation. . Radio Ecoshock introduced some hard questions that have been ignored:
What social disruptions are being caused by global heating – increased levels of malnutrition, starvation, disease, civil conflict and war – and not ecluding affluent nations?
Should we tell young people what we’ve done to the climate? (Too late: they are telling us.)
Far from perfect, but still, nearly 200 nations reached an agreement on climate action rules.
AUSTRALIA
NUCLEAR. A second legal case to stop nuclear waste dump: Aboriginal traditional owners lodge complaint with Australian Human Rights Commission.
Labor Party’s National Conference is debating policy on the Federal Govt’s nuclear waste dump plan. Also debating whether to join the UN nuclear weapons ban treaty. Labor has-been Gareth Evans still pro nuclear, sabotaging the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty.
CLIMATE.
Australia lies low in Katowice as UN scrapes together rules for climate deal. Australia’s credibility on the line at UN climate talks. Australian government’s hypocritical performance at UN Climate Summit. Promoting coal at UN Climate Summit, did Environment Ambassador, Patrick Suckling speak officially for Australia? Anger, protests as Australia supports US fossil fuels event at UN climate talks.
Liberal Coalition has an energy vision: No more renewables, or emission cuts, before 2030. Fact-checking Liberals’claim that Australia’s carbon emissions are coming down. Climate Democrats to enter the fray and disrupt Australia’s politics.
Australia’s Liberal National govt will use tax-payer funds to promote new and existing coal mines. Scott Morrison and the Business Council are pushing coal – but on what evidence?.
The legal clause which could allow Adani to sue Australia. Priest vows to block Adani bulldozers. Adani aims to quash traditional owner challengers, tells court they’re ‘impecunious’. Australia’s Liberal Coalition govt cosying up to coal megaminer Adani. Coalition designs underwriting tender so it can choose what it wants, including coal .
High alert as bushfire risk reaches Black Saturday levels. Bushfire threat to vital koala habitat.
The South Australian farmers taking the fight to mining companies .
RENEWABLE ENERGY. Australia Defence taps solar, battery storage for NT base, in push away from fossil fuels. Whyalla powering ahead – with renewable energy! Solar farms getting smaller, cheaper and smarter to overcome grid hurdles. Western Australia names new energy minister, primes grid for 900MW renewables rush.
INTERNATIONAL
Some good news in the climate battle – over 1000 institutions to divest from fossil fuels. Makoma Lekalakala: ‘There should be no nuclear in climate financing’. Nuclear power is no answer to global heating – even if only because nuclear power is unaffordable. Global nuclear industry aggressively lobbying climate negotiators.
The drying of soils due to climate change is shrinking the world’s water supply.
Numerous nuclear accidents at sea (doesn’t inspire confidence for nuclear-powered space travel). No restraints on nuclear weapons use, if USA abandons Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
ARCTIC. Degrading permafrost puts Arctic infrastructure at risk by mid-century.
JAPAN. Japan’s nuclear export industry about to get the fatal blow. High Iodine distribution, low intake among children after Fukushima nuclear accident.
UK.
- Britain’s nuclear nightmare -the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant. UK’s Sellafield nuclear reprocessing – a financial black hole for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Just the bare 60 years later, they will start to dismantle UK’s Dounreay nuclear reactor.
- Hitachi having trouble financing new nuclear reactors in Wales – may pull the plug on Wylfa project. Hitachi calling on Britain to further subsidise new nuclear reactors for Wales. Cost of Chinese-designed and largely Chinese-owned nuclear reactor for Bradwell UK will probably blow out hugely. Concern that Hinkley Point C will have ‘devastating’ impact on sea fish numbers in Burnham.
- UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) to prosecute Sellafield over worker’s exposure to radiation.
USA.
- Amazon planning to run a “global brain” for the Pentagon.
- USA Congress Democrats and Republicans want strict controls on any nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. USA govt will appease murderous Saudi Arabia regime – or maybe not?. Saudi Arabia, the Khashoggi murder case: the nuclear connections with Terra Power, Bill Gates, Breakthrough etc.
- Radioactive fallout killed up to 690,000 Americans from 1951 to 1973.
- Trump wants to reclassify radioactive waste from nuclear weapons to ‘Low Level’ so disposal is cheaper. Environmentalists fear that reclassifying some nuclear wastes means abandoning clean-ups. Maine watchdogs keep close eye on Trump’s bid to change nuclear waste storage rules.
- What to do with used nuclear fuel, from Illinois to California. The mad plan to store nuclear waste on the beach. Transport of nuclear wastes to USA’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is stalled while maintenance work is on.
- Washington helping nuclear workers to get compensation: State will defend its law.
- Magnitude 4.4 earthquake strikes Tennessee near nuclear power plant .
FRANCE. How France multiplies hazardous nuclear waste. Replacing nuclear with renewables would save France $44.5 billion.
RUSSIA. Russia claims US ignoring outreach on nuclear treaty dispute. Russia woos China to join nuclear framework with US. Russia marketing nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.– White House fury as Russian nuclear planes visit Venezuela .
TAIWAN. Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CFTPP) held over Taiwan , because of its referendum rejecting food from Fukushima.
GERMANY. Explosion and fire at German Advanced Nuclear Fuels plant. Residential batteries ready to compete with fossil fuels and nuclear in Germany.
FINLAND. Radioactive reindeer in Finland and Norway.
IRAN. Iranian hackers take aim at foreign nuclear experts and US official.
INDIA. India has 140 Nuclear Warheads – And More Are Coming.
BULGARIA. Bulgaria’s planned nuclear power station unlikely to ever be built.
BELGIUM. Call for Belgium’s unsafe Tihange nuclear reactor to be shut down.
CHINA. Chinese military is building a test facility to simulate thermonuclear explosions.
Nuclear Australia 
December 26, 2018 at 4:14 pm |
Please help on Twitter to do something about the Paid Nuclear-industry stalkers and thugs at #thorium . the thugs and paid criminals Harraas Christina and Dr. Caldicott. Do this by Contacting local authorities. The thugs are subsidized by Nuclear and government interests. They slander. They threaten. They stalk. They should be in jail. Taxpayers foot part of the bill for their criminality. Branden, Marcelina, Thomas Hyerpetropia, Ocker OReily
December 26, 2018 at 7:58 pm |
Thanks indeed, Doug. But these pro thorium nuclear trolls are very smart – nowadays they skirt around the law, but tend to not clearly break it.
For example Thomas Hypermetropia used to have an account as “John Randall”. When he tweeted that I was a murderer, I managed to get his account shut down by Twitter. He then reappeared as “Thomas Huxley” and tweeted that I was a child abuser, and had been jailed. Again I was able to get Twitter to shut down that account. Now he is Thomas Hypermetropia, and has avoided Twitter rules by having an icon which is very offensive to me, but apparently OK by Twitter authorities. No matter. I do think that most intelligent people see through the antics of these paid trolls.