The Week's Climate and Nuclear News

The marathon climate talks in Madrid had a rather disappointing outcome.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk8McVmQRDI  While the USA was excluded from the conference, other fossil-fuel addicted nations, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil did their best to sabotage the cause for climate action. Meanwhile the valuable perspective from women was largely ignored. From the top down in climate discussions, to regional and local talks in developing countries, women's voices are generally excluded.

The nuclear lobby is working quietly away to get nuclear power accepted as "green", thus getting not only 'respectability', but also hefty financial  advantages. They're having minor success in Europe. The European Union's sustainable finance debate was bogged down in the question of including nuclear power. It ended up with a weak inclusion of nuclear power as a "sustainable activity', but it still has to be agreed by the European Parliament, which has insisted on its “no” to nuclear.  

Some good news - The Global Deal for Nature.

AUSTRALIA

CLIMATE Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on holidays overseas, as fires burn across Australia. Australians are reminded of the tourism slogan that Morrison created - #wherethebloodyhellareyou?

New South Wales' bushfire conditions are getting worse.   In blistering heat, Perth's bushfire will keep burning for days.    Ominous forecast for Australia's bushfire dangers. Bushfire near power plant (just as well it's not a NUCLEAR power plant) Australia's rainforests used to be too wet to burn. Not now.  250m tonnes of CO2 emitted from Australia's bushfires.

Swedish youth climate activist Greta Thunberg hits out at Australia’s quest for climate loopholes talks. No legal or moral basis for Australia’s Kyoto accounting fudge, new analysis shows.

NUCLEAR. Liberal-Party-dominated committee recommends removing Australia's ban on nuclear power. Albanese attacks Coalition’s nuclear ‘fantasy’ as Greens say report should ‘alarm all Australians’. Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor rejects call for partial lift of nuclear power.

In fealty to the global nuclear industry, the Liberals line up the nuclear dump site, amendments to law, deepwater port.

In the rush to get a nuclear waste dump site, the Dept of Industry, Innovation and Science has ignored the transport dangers. Residents vote against nuclear waste dump near Hawker in South Australia. Strong opposition to nuclear waste dump plan for Flinders Ranges.  Kimba now the likely site for nuclear waste dump.

ENVIRONMENT. While ignorant tunnel-visioned politicians kowtow to irrigators, the Murray River system faces death. A foreign corporation gets 89 BILLION litres of Australia's water, as drought worsens. Scott Morrison trashes the Environment Department.

RENEWABLE ENERGY. A lot of progress, - much information at https://reneweconomy.com.au

INTERNATIONAL

United States and Russia are on the verge of a new arms race, Nuclear War Simulator shows the devastation that nukes could cause.

The toxic gender norms in the nuclear weapons establishment.

Ethics of burdening developing countries with nuclear debts and nuclear wastes.

Devastating array of craters on the ocean floor, from nuclear tests.

RUSSIA.  Investigative journalism -  Hazards of Russia's nuclear colonialism- example South Africa. Docking problems for Russia's nuclear ships.

NORTH KOREA. North Korea conducts second test at satellite site, to 'bolster nuclear deterrent'.

USA.

• Investigative journalism - USA's Patriot Act destroys civil liberties.
• Pentagon goes ahead with ballistic missile test, likely to bring on deadly arms race. USA rejects North Korea's 'hostile' deadline over nuclear talks. Maryland's Back From the Brink” resolution to support the U.N. Nuclear Ban Treaty. U.S. Democrats cave in to a weak compromise on National Defense Authorization Act.
• Idaho nuclear waste processing project to close - not commercially viable.
• Los Alamos National Laboratory lost 250 barrels of nuke waste,
• Angst in Utah over dangers of nuclear waste transport to "temporary" storage.
• Prairie Island Indian Community - nuclear refugees.
• Muons: probing the depths of nuclear waste.

JAPAN.  Japan ponders recycling Fukushima soil for public parks and green areas.   TEPCO delays Fukushima chimney demolition. Olympics no relief for devastated city. Fukushima: Japan court finds government liable for nuclear disaster.

Radiation levels in one Fukushima reactor high enough to kill a human in two minutes.  Fukushima Radiation Hotspots Raise Concerns Ahead of Tokyo Olympics. Fukushima Prefecture has over 9 million bags of nuclear waste.  Analysis of decontamination of irradiated soil of Fukushima area.

Two nuclear reactors in Fukui Prefecture to be shut down.

FRANCE. In France, over the next decade renewable energy is ‘on track to overtake nuclear’.  Legal action regarding defective welds in EPR nuclear reactor. France's EDF company is trying to "restore trust" in the nuclear industry.

TURKEY. Turkey may shut US nuclear weapons base over sanctions threat.

UK.

• Anger as EDF tries to shrink emergency zone around Scottish nuclear plant.
• Boris Johnson's overhaul of govt departments. Will it really be good for the environment? Sceptisim over Boris Johnson's promises on environment and climate.  UK election. Green Party grew by 60%. UK Conservatives get big donations from fossil fuel and weapons companies.
• Call to postpone a  decision on Suffolk's new nuclear power station bid.
• Release of radioactive dust at Dounreay contravened regulations.

CANADA. Nuclear power the worst, most unsuitable, most expensive power option for Ontario.  U.S. Congress members call on Trudeau to stop nuclear waste dumping near Great Lakes.

ISRAEL. Israel's High Court rejects Vanunu's bid to leave Israel.

INDIA. How India's Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) got hacked.

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Christina Macpherson
Antinuclear Australia
www.antinuclear.net
www.nuclear-news.nethttps://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com/ @ChristinaMac1

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