French nuclear test victims to get compo
French nuclear test victims to get compo The Age uly 1, 2009 – 10:19AMThe French National Assembly approved a landmark bill on compensating the victims of nuclear tests carried out in French Polynesia and Algeria over more than three decades.Some 150,000 civilian and military personnel took part in 210 nuclear tests carried out in the Sahara desert and the Pacific between 1960 and 1996. Many of them later developed serious health problems.The bill must now be presented to the Senate, which is practically certain to approve it………………………….
Under the bill, a nine-member committee of physicians, led by a magistrate, will examine individual claims for compensation.
Socialist opposition MPs had welcomed the bill, but warned it gives too much say to state appointees and too little to victims’ groups in deciding who is eligible.
By offering compensation, the government hopes to avoid long, drawn-out litigation. About a dozen veterans have won minor damages in lawsuits brought against the state……………………..
The government is also lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding its nuclear program as it considers the compensation claims.
The military archives of the nuclear program have been opened and are being examined by two experts who are to submit a report in December on the environmental impact of the tests.
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This Month
Doncha get sick of all the nuclear hype? Meanwhile, where it’s really all happening is in truly CLEAN energy!
(This month on our Action page: 1. UK: Block the Builders is a campaign which aims, using nonviolent direct action, to prevent the building of new nuclear weapons facilities at AWE Aldermaston . 2. Belarus: A call for solidarity actions with Belarusian antinuclear movement on February 19-21)
For February 2010 we focus on RENEWABLE ENERGY and ENERGY EFFICIENCY
1. The most effective method of all: ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The false message of the nuclear lobby is that in order to reduce greenhouse gases, and have enough energy, we need nuclear energy.
In fact, both of these goals can be met quickly, cheaply and cleanly, by just stopping wasting energy.
Energy wastage can be stopped – in the home, in business, in transport, building and manufacturing. The European Plan has already shown how effectively energy can be saved through existing energy efficincy procedures. http://www.energyscience.org.au/FS04%20Energy%20Efficiency.pdf
Cost-effective energy management. There are many ways to implement cost effective energy in homes, offices, industries. Many countries are not doing this yet, due to market problems, lack of information, differing aims of landlords and tenants.lack of institutionalset-ups for delivering services such a sheating and cooling in the least costly way.
Government action would solve these problems by regulating energy performance standards for both existing and new buildings, appliances, equipment and industrial processes.
2. The other component: renewable energy – (and let’s not forget,- while there are set up and maintenance costs – the fuel is free.)
Gas is a good energy source to tide us over the change to renewables, and can provide back-up for solar. Wind power and Solar energy are advancing, but would require special assistance schemes.
The BASELOAD FALLACY
A baseload power station, in theory, provides elctricity 24 hours a day.. In practise, they are costly to manintain, and do break down.. So they have reserve plant, and peakload pland (gas turbines or hydro-electricity.
Renewable energy can provide several different baseload technologies.:
- bioenergy – burning crops and rsidues, or converting them to gas
- hot dry rock geothermal power
- solar thermal electricity, with heat storage in hot water or hot rocks
- large scale distributed wind power, with a small amount of occasional backup from peakload plant
Contrary to general opinion, wind power is generally not intermittent, when it is part of a system of several wind farms, or when connected to a national grid.
A renewable energy system would consist of a mix of different energy sources. Ultimately, its success would depend on some limit to economic and population growth.
http://www.energyscience.org.au/FS05%20Sust%20Energy.pdf
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