To 24 August- nuclear, climate, Covid-19 news

the coronavirus scene –   it’s pretty much same same. Spain registered more than 8,000 new cases in 24 hours, France also reported a second consecutive day of more than 4,000 new cases.  USA leads the world in Covid-19 deaths, and exceeded 70,000 confirmed infections per day in July –  recorded 43,000 new cases on Thursday. With no usable vaccine yet available, the most prominent tool governments have at their disposal is to confine their populations or enforce social distancing.  Still, the World Health Organisation hopes that the coronavirus crisis can be over in two years.   Making everything more difficult, disinformation about vaccines is flourishing.

Climate change: 2020 Is proving another disastrous year for our Earth’s climate.  Don’t blame the IPCC – at least they warned us.  Once again, the Arctic is the star, in this ongoing global tragedy.

The nuclear lobby keeps toting small nuclear reactors as clean and green, and journalists and politicians keep buying that story. The U.S. Democratic Party now supports the nuclear industry, making it indistinguishable from the Republicans on this issue.

 Some bits of good news.  The Latest COVID-19 Tests Work Without ‘Tickling Your Brain’.    Large Blue Butterflies Were Extinct in England, But Now Those Beauties Are Back After 50 Years.    Beautiful Mural in Warsaw Eats Up Smog, purifying the Air, Equal to 720 Trees.

International Lawyers Make Urgent Appeal to British Government- not to extradite Julian Assange.

Artificial Intelligence brings a new worry into nuclear weaponry.

Take the money away from nuclear weapons – spend it on Covid-19 relief.  The Prospects of Nuclear Disarmament in the New Nuclear Architecture.

Greta Thunberg on the global inaction on climate change.

Unprecedented rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

28 trillion tonnes of ice have disappeared from the surface of the Earth since 1994.

Global warming is bringing new “fire regime”all too quickly.   Experts are calling for international collaboration to combat wildfires.

Book Review- Tempting Fate – Nuclear Politics.

ARCTIC.  Heat from the ocean’s interior contributes to loss of Arctic sea ice.  Permafrost will thaw faster, as global heating causes more rain in the North.  Greenland’s meltdown taking flight.

BIKINI ATOLL.  Bikini Atoll – food grown there is radioactive – but, it’s “technically habitable”!

FRANCE.  France’s nuclear energy continues to be hit by global heating, drought, water shortage.

USA.

• CLIMATE As climate extreme weather impacts grow, American nuclear reactors are threatened. Climate, weather extremes, threaten nuclear reactors, and costs of preparing for them are increasing.  High financial risks in nuclear power – from global heating.   Climate change a problem for nuclear waste dumps.
• See this How the climate crisis is already harming America – photo essay.  California: 10,849 lightning strikes spark more than 367 fires. California grid melts in record heat. Are renewables to blame?
• NUCLEAR POLITICS  Joe Biden will be just as pro nuclear as Trump– maybe worse?    .U.S. Democratic Party not really interested in reducing the bloated military spending.  U.S. Air Force mulls getting hypersonic nuclear weapons.     Supporting the UN Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons.  Nuclear power is not compatible with the fundamental tenets of a Green New Deal.
• CLIMATE POLITICS Bill McKibben not sure that Kamala Harris will be strong on addressing climate change. U.S. Senator Harris and Rep Ocasio-Cortez introduce Bill on climate harm.
•  Nuclear waste should no longer be exempt from environmental laws.
• Senators Warn Trump Saudi-Chinese Uranium Plant Risks Spread of Nuclear Weapons.
• Biggest bribery and money-laundering bust in Ohio history, but the crooked pro nuclear law still stands!   Will Ohio finally be able to use its wind resources, now that the nuclear corruption is being exposed?  Unleash the tremendous potential of Ohio wind energy jobs instead of bailing out nuclear plants.
•   NuScam’s not so small nuclear reactors need $1.4 billion subsidy, and might not be so safe.   Small Modular Nuclear Reactors costs jump by $billions. Logan city abandons NuScam project.  City of Logan cuts its losses, withdraws from risky NuScam “small” nuclear reactor project.
• Growing national opposition to Holtec plan for ‘temporary’ storage of nuclear wastes near Carlsbad, New Mexico.  Debate rages on for nuclear waste facility proposed near Carlsbad, more hearings scheduled.    Ohio school all too close to Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant – nuclear radiation dangers.
• Earthquake prompts inspections at Fermi 2 nuclear power plant; NRC virtual meeting planned.

TAIWAN.  USA’s nuclear weapons – not the best way to protect Taiwan.

UK. Is the £20 billion Sizewell C project right for the region and country? A real setback to UK”s Bradwell nuclear project: Colchester Council voted unanimously to reject the proposal.    Hitachi waiting for tax-payer funding, to start nuclear projects in UK.   Scotland’s Covid-19 recovery and Climate Policy. UK relations with China at a low point; bad news for nuclear power projects.

– Wow! Only the bare 313 years before the Dounreay nuclear power site could be used for anything else!

Installing solar PV can increase house prices by an average of £32,459 across the UK.    Huge electricity transformer will land on a Gwynedd beach, headed for nuclear power project.

JAPAN.  Japan’s Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant delayed, for the 25th time!  Resistance to nuclear waste survey in Hokkaido.

RUSSIA. Court actions over delays in delivering Russia’s giant nuclear icebreaker line.

CANADA.  Canada communities don’t want the so-called “clean” Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs).  Community opposition to South Bruce Nuclear Waste Repository.

EUROPE.  Northern Europe: detecting radiation and where it comes from.

IRAN.  Iran says sabotage caused explosion at Natanz nuclear site.

PAKISTAN.  A Pakistan threat of nuclear war with India.

SPAIN.  Cumulative exposure to ionising radiation from diagnostic imaging tests.

CHINA.  China feels India’s nuclear weapons programme driven by prestige: US report.

ISRAEL.  Report: Israel ‘deeply concerned’ by Saudi Arabia, China alleged nuclear cooperation,

YEMEN.  Danger in Houthi Smuggling of Thorium to Iran.

AUSTRALIA.  We’ve been electing governments that damage our children’s future.

August 24, 2020 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes