The media’s, politicians’ and the public’s gaze has now shifted from the health aspects of coronavirus, to the economic effects of the pandemic, and of the response to it.
Which brings us to the question of – what should governments be doing with tax-payers’ money?
Well, one thing they shouldn’t be doing is wasting it. Yet, in the case of the nuclear industry, that is what’s happening, and especially in the cause of nuclear weapons. Alex Smith, of Radio Ecoshock covers not only the shocking economics of the nuclear industry, but its unsafety in this time of pandemic, the associated secrecy and bungling in America, Russia, Japan, China, Canada, Europe and beyond. And this includes the vulnerability of nuclear facilities to the effects of global heating.
AUSTRALIA
And yes, so far, Australia is doing very well in its response to the pandemic.
NUCLEAR.
Australian nuclear dump decision trashes indigenous peoples’ rights.
Submissions to Senate Committee on Radioactive Waste Management Amendment Bill:
- Friends of the Earth condemns shameful Radioactive Waste Management Bill, offers positive alternatives.
- Sebastian Tops: National Radioactive Waste Management Amendment Bill uses vague unspecified term “controlled material” for secret reasons? “
- Bob and Sue Tulloch: scrutiny needed on Radioactive Waste Management Amendment- paves the way to import foreign nuclear wastes.
- David Myer : nuclear lobby bullying their way by their effort to change the National Radioactive Waste Management Act,
- Brett Pike: The overwhelming majority of South Australians do not want a nuclear waste dump in their State.
- Maurice Blackburn: nuclear waste Bill Amendment is against natural justice, excludes Aboriginal community and concerns.
- Nancy Lennon: ensure that key environmental laws are applied to National National Radioactive Waste Management Act ANSTO’s dodgy classification of nuclear wastes. Legal action to follow the shonky National Radioactive Waste Management’s processes?
- Megan Johnson: National Radioactive Waste Act – not democratic, not transparent, a hasty inadequate plan.WASTE OF TIME – submissions re radioactive waste dump Inquiry- ONLY TECHNICAL MATTERS will be considered.
BHP Olympic Dam copper-uranium mine operates on outdated 1991 era Occupational Radiation Exposure Limits.
A tribute to the Maralinga traditional owners.
Australia must not forget – the plutonium abuse of an Australian child, by Argonne National Laboratory.
ERA’s focus is now on rehabilitating the Ranger uranium mine site. Prospective Northern Goldfields uranium miner fails to submit environmental and mine closure plans on time.
Australia’s national environment laws ‘actually allow extinction to happen’.
CLIMATE. The Australian government has officially given up on climate action. Wind, solar and drought drive down emissions, but Australia still lags on targets. Morrison government has not modelled a zero emissions scenario. Federal energy and emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor says higher emissions targets ‘not necessarily good policy’. Australia won’t budge on 2030 climate targets, keeps mum on longer term intentions. Covert-19: Government stacks Covid Commission with oil and gas mates, cosy deals follow.
In 2019, fire chiefs were ‘gagged’ when trying to give climate change warnings to government.
News Corp cuts represent an huge threat to Australian democracy - enormous power of Rupert Murdoch over Australia’s media. Australian media is not doing its job to expose power and corruption.
RENEWABLE ENERGY. Networks can now replace costly poles and wires with solar and storage micro-grids. Ausgrid seeks thousands of NSW homes to join expanded virtual power plant . NSW calls for wind, solar, storage ideas for first renewable zone in central west. Huge Uungula wind project edges closer in NSW renewable energy zone. Sun Cable’s solar and battery mega-project may be first of many. Suntech’s 9.4MW Robinvale solar farm completed in Victoria. Lawyers’ picnic, and $47m at play, as Sunraysia solar farm faces further delays. “Once in a lifetime opportunity:” NSW farmer on why he wants to host a wind farm.
INTERNATIONAL
Eminent Persons Warn Against Any Demonstration Nuclear Test Explosion. – “grave challenge to global peace and security” – Nuclear watchdog on potential U.S. nuclear test.
The Environmental Legacy of Nuclear Weapons Production: Five Case Studies — HUMAN WRONGS WATCH
‘The Triumph of Doubt‘ – corporations’ war on science.
Research is needed into health effects of 4G and 5G [electromagnetic] radiation.
SOUTH ASIA. Extreme heat, humidity, air pollution – combined threat to South Asia.
EUROPE. European Union’s recovery plan promotes renewable energy, omits nuclear
FINLAND. Finland’s new nuclear reactor hit by valve leak.
LUXEMBOURG. New Luxembourg law allows claims over nuclear accidents.
BELARUS. Lithuania, Belarus sign nuclear incident notification agreement.
SWEDEN. Sweden gets a new Nuclear Emergency Plan.
USA.
- Trump withdraws from Open Skies Treaty, throws more doubt on the future of the New START nuclear treaty.
- Resuming nuclear testing a Slap in the Face to Survivors. Trump’s ominous creation of the U.S. Space Force – for the purposes of war. During pandemic, U.S. military runs the largest maritime war games in the world.
- Nuclear industry brazenly exploiting Pandemic to get tax-payer funding. Now with the pandemic, it is a free-for-all for the nuclear operators . The claim that nuclear power is needed for national security is a masked money-grab.
- Nuclear emissions cause cancer.
- Here’s a supremely unaffordable nuclear fantasy – reactors on the moon and Mars.
- Nuclear deregulation threatens workers at Pennsylvania plants and nationwide.
- Federal report: 2019 Seattle radiation leak could have been disastrous, was a ‘near miss’.
- Heavy problems in transporting dead nuclear reactor, especially in hot weather. Huge task of carting 770-ton nuclear reactor from Southern California to Utah. Huge dead nuclear reactor is a tough haul on Nevada’s roads.
- Removing US caps on Russian nuclear fuel imports.
CANADA. Ontario’s nuclear re-build postponed due to pandemic. Opposition in Canada to nuclear waste dump on agricultural land. Canadian farming community not happy about taking on nuclear wastes.
RUSSIA. Oleg Bodrov on the status of the Russian nuclear industry.
UK.
- Estimated costs of Uk’s nuclear power projects – Sizewell C £18 billion ($22bn), Hinkley Point C £22.5bn. Soaring costs of UK’s Hinkley Point C nuclear project, and other nuclear plans, while renewables get cheaper.
- Sizewell nuclear planning application should be rejected until coronavirus lockdown restrictions are lifted. Sizewell C nuclear project now becoming prohibitively expensive? Government-owned Chinese company wants to build Sizewell nuclear plant. Chinese involvement in Sizewell nuclear plant the ‘next Huawei. Is it in the national interest?
- Opposition to unnecessary, environmentally destructive Sizewell nuclear project . Wildlife charities unite to oppose Sizewell C nuclear power station. UK’s National Trust says new Sizewell C nuclear power station poses threat to rare birds.
- Chinese nuclear reactors for Bradwell.
- UK’s new nuclear plants – nearly all parts are sourced and/or funded from China and France. Bankrupt French company AREVA, now resuscitated as Framatome to engineer UK’s nuclear fleet.
- Nationally important – to stop the dumping of radioactive mud off Cardiff coast.
JAPAN. Green light for Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant, but is it viable? Coronavirus pandemic hampers Japan’s nuclear regulators’ probe into Fukushima disaster.
FRANCE. Resistance developing to EDF’s plan to store nuclear waste at Belleville-sur-Loire. Safety lapses at France’s nuclear reactors, new delays at EDF’s Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor . Radioactive pollution at the Bugey nuclear power plant in France : EDF condemned. Court set-back to France’s EDF nuclear supply contracts.
IRAN. Iran tops the list of countries which accepted inspections of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2019. Britain, France, Germany not happy that USA will end waivers for Iran civilian nuclear projects . Iran envoy says that Trump has pulled the final plug in violating nuclear deal. Trump administration to remove almost all sanctions relief to Iran.
CHINA. The way that China plans its nuclear weapons strategy.
UKRAINE. Ex-president Kravchuk estimates compensation for Ukraine’s nuclear weapons at US$250 bln.
FIJI. Fiji ratifies the TREATY ON THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
Nuclear Australia 
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