Renewable energy: Obama’s cruise to the White House puts the wind back in green sails | Environment | The Guardian
Renewable energy: Obama’s cruise to the White House puts the wind back in green sailsAfter Bush’s years of neglect, the new president promises the planet a fresh start
The Guardian Terry Macalister November 6 2008The election of Barack Obama has put the wind back into the sails of the renewable energy sector, where investor confidence had been badly punctured by the credit crisis. Clean technology and green energy stocks have soared as City analysts predict a major boost from the incoming president.
Solar Integrated Technologies rose by 30% yesterday after increases of 22% by Renewable Energy Corporation and 16% by the wind turbine maker Vestas in the 24 hours before, when they were helped upwards by oil prices returning to above $70 a barrel.
Obama has promised to invest $150bn over 10 years in renewables as part of a wider plan to increase US energy security amid fear of oil shortages, while also reducing the country’s carbon emissions in a bid to tackle global warming – and create jobs during an economic downturn.
Harvey Wasserman: A Blow to Nuclear Power in Chicago
A Warning to ObamaA Blow to Nuclear Power in Chicago
counterpunch By HARVEY WASSERMAN November 6, 2008 As the world media filled with the victory of Barack Obama, a defeat for atomic power in his own back yard sent a Solartopian message to the new administration.In the Chicago-area communities of Oak Park, Berwyn and Riverside, voters approved by well over two-to-one a referendum asking that “our elected officials in Illinois take steps to phase out nuclear power in the state, replacing it with renewable sources such as wind and solar.”………………………A strong lobby with a slick, expensive pubic relations campaign is now pushing new nukes here. New ratepayer-based reactor financing is now being shoved through state public utilities commissions in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and possibly elsewhere, with tens of billions in potential liability.But Wall Street has given thumbs down to a technology that can’t compete with Solartopian sources like wind, solar, tidal, geothermal and other green energies.
The future of new reactor construction thus depends on massive federal and state subsidies. In the fall of 2007, the industry inserted into a Congressional energy bill a package of loan guarantees meant to provide $50 billion in taxpayer-backed funds to build new reactors……………………….. The clock is ticking very fast on the idea of new nukes. With projected construction times of a decade or more, new reactors cannot begin to deliver energy for many years after the installation of competing green sources, whose comparative costs continue to drop.
So this small but strong Chicago-area vote for a Solartopian future sends a very clear message. A powerful new nuke lobby will be pushing hard from Day One of the new administration.
Nukenomics No Longer Add Up – Expert by OneWorld United States — nuclear power, energy, environment | Gather
Nukenomics No Longer Add Up – Expert
gather NEWS Brittany Schell, OneWorld US November 05, 2008WASHINGTON, (OneWorld) – Nuclear power is a risky source of energy that comes with many hidden costs, said an environmental analyst and long-time leader in the U.S. environmental movement Tuesday.
Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, said the “flawed economics” of nuclear power are placing unforeseen burdens on taxpayers: the costs related to the construction of nuclear plants, the disposal of nuclear waste, the decommissioning of old plants, and security in case of an accident all contribute to the price the world pays for nuclear power. Wind energy is a more economically sound option, said Brown………………………
Brown said that when calculating the true cost of nuclear power, factors such as waste disposal, insurance in case of an accident, and decommissioning costs once a plant is worn out have to be included.
“A dollar invested in wind produces more energy, leads to a greater reduction in carbon emissions, and creates more jobs than one invested in nuclear power.”……………………
Brown mentioned the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, where the United States plans to store the radioactive waste from its 104 nuclear reactors, as an example of unforeseen costs of nuclear power. Yucca Mountain is located 90 miles outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. The cost of this repository, estimated at $58 billion in 2001, has climbed to $96 billion.
“Not only is Yucca Mountain over budget, it is 19 years behind schedule,” said Brown. “It was originally supposed to be ready to accept waste in 1998 and it now is scheduled for 2017. It’s not even certain that it will ever be completed.”
The lack of a permanent waste storage facility is a security risk and security costs are usually not included in financial analyses either, said Brown. There are 121 temporary facilities in 39 states, and it is difficult to monitor and provide adequate security for all the sites. He cautioned that this distribution leaves the sites vulnerable to leakage, as well as possible terrorist attacks.
“There is a growing risk of radioactive material getting into the wrong hands,” Brown said. He said there were 250 incidents last year of nuclear material being lost or stolen, and a lot was never recovered………………………According to a 2004 International Atomic Energy Agency report, the decommissioning cost for each reactor will range from $250 to $500 million, not including the cost of removing and disposing of the waste.A report by nuclear consultant Mycle Schneider said recently that about 90 nuclear reactors are set to close within the next seven years……………….In light of this impending decline, Brown said the U.S. government should stop investing money in nuclear power — currently over $70 billion a year — and devote more money to the research and development of renewable energy sources, such as wind.
U.N. watchdog urges Spain action on nuclear waste | Environment | Reuters
U.N. watchdog urges Spain action on nuclear waste
SEVILLE, Spain (Reuters) 5 Nov 08 – The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog on Wednesday praised Spain’s regulator but recommended stepping up efforts to find a permanent site for dumping spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste.
Urich Schmocker, head of an International Atomic Energy Agency mission to Spain, said building a central storage facility was just an interim solution……………………..
Spain’s eight aging nuclear power stations face an uncertain future, as operating licenses for seven of them are due for review between 2009-11.
That is within the mandate of Spain’s Socialist government, which has vowed to phase out nuclear power amidst a boom in renewable energy sources………………………………
As part of a bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce its heavy dependence on imported fuel, Spain has encouraged renewable energy and is now the world’s third-largest producer of wind power, with a capacity of 16,000 megawatts.
Spain is now also the world’s third producer of solar, and may have up to 1,800 MW by the end of the year.
The Press Association: Watchdog bans CT scan leaflet
Watchdog bans CT scan leaflet
The Press Association 5 Nov 08 A leaflet that promised a comprehensive health check on the basis of a CT scan broke advertising regulations, a watchdog has ruled.The circular for Lifescan said it had given thousands of people “peace of mind” after they underwent the private scan and assessment………………………..A doctor complained that the ad was misleading and irresponsible because it could discourage patients from seeing their GP, implied that a CT scan could identify any problem, and did not make clear that the radiation from CT scans could be harmful if used frequently.
The Press Association: Watchdog bans CT scan leaflet
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
D.C. hospital gets ‘dirty bomb’ sensors – USATODAY.com
D.C. hospital gets ‘dirty bomb’ sensors
By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY 5 Nov 08WASHINGTON — The largest private hospital in
the nation’s capital on Tuesday began installing sophisticated new
radiation detectors in an effort to better prepare for a terrorist
attack with a radiological “dirty bomb.”The sensors, which will be placed out of public
view at the 926-bed Washington Hospital Center, will immediately let
doctors, nurses and other hospital staff know if someone contaminated
with dangerous radiation enters the emergency room or other areas of
the hospital.The goal is to prevent victims of an attack from
compounding the disaster by contaminating the hospitals and emergency
workers who are there to treat them.
D.C. hospital gets ‘dirty bomb’ sensors – USATODAY.com
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Nuclear group warns about construction | ajc.com
Nuclear group warns about construction
ajc.com Associated PressTuesday, November 04, 2008Columbia —- The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is warning the nuclear industry to be careful in its construction oversight after finding problems earlier this year at the Savannah River Site.Specifically, the Greenville News reported Sunday, the warning addresses bad concrete and faulty reinforcing steel in the foundation of the Savannah River plant. The site will produce nuclear reactor fuel from weapons-grade plutonium……………………………..A spokesman for AREVA, one of the private partners building and operating the plant, had no comment on the report.
Problems with concrete at a nuclear plant under construction in Finland, according to the NRC, “caused lengthy construction delays and had a negative impact on public confidence.”
In France, officials encountered a series of problems with steel reinforcing bars in construction of a new reactor site there. The French agency overseeing the project “considers the main issue to be the licensee’s quality management system,” the NRC reported…………….
Tom Clements, Southeast nuclear campaign coordinator for the environmental group Friends of the Earth, said the problems discovered at the MOX plant appear to be “endemic” to nuclear industry construction.
“It doesn’t bode well for the rest of the project or other such projects, nationally,” he said.
Nuclear group warns about construction | ajc.com
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Fairfax Station-Clifton – The Connection Newspapers
Virginians See Global Warming as ‘Very Serious’
connection newspapers By Julia O’Donoghue November 03, 2008 The majority of Virginians believe that the earth is not only getting warmer but that global warming also constitutes a “very serious” problem, according to the first statewide poll on climate change………………..In what politicians called a major sea change in Virginia’s public opinion, a strong majority of all Virginians view climate change as a problem and said the government should take action immediately to deal with the problem……………………..nuclear is hardly the panacea to the United States energy problems.It is extremely difficult to get a nuclear power plant insured and storing large amounts of nuclear waste is also poses a challenge. In the age of heightened awareness about terrorism, nuclear power plants also become more of a security concern than other types of energy alternatives, said Governor Connolly.
Fairfax Station-Clifton – The Connection Newspapers
Tags: globalwarming, climate change
Left behind on energy issue
Left behind on energy issue
thestar.com MalaysiaNMA,
Kajang.I REFER to the ongoing debate on nuclear energy. So far, not a single pro-nuclear advocate has told me what they will do with the nuclear waste, except one letter claiming that there will be zero.This is obviously false because it’s common knowledge that nuclear waste is the number one issue preventing most European countries from adding more nuclear reactors in their country, or even replacing their ageing reactors. So, until the authorities can explain what they plan to do with the waste, and that the action taken will be viable and responsible, I will be against nuclear energy……………………..I disagree that renewables are too expensive to be viable; that was the view 10 years ago. Now even a Texas oilman is building a huge solar power plant in an American desert, Australia is piloting a project extracting energy from underground hot rocks and China is now the builder of the most wind farms and solar plants in the world and is still building more and faster.
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium, renewables
David Suzuki: Renewable energy requires strength of will | Straight.com
David Suzuki: Renewable energy requires strength of will
Straight.com By David Suzuki and Faisal Moola 5 Nov 08 – “…………………..Alternative energy sources are absolutely necessary. Global warming will kill birds and bats, as well as other species, in much greater numbers than wind power. We just need good planning to ensure that our energy production is balanced with ecological concerns. And we need to believe in our ability to develop solutions……………………Making a commitment to resolve a serious crisis generates opportunities and creates jobs.Already, renewable energy technologies are creating employment and giving economies a boost around the world. Countries like Denmark and Germany started shifting to renewable energy sources after the OPEC oil embargo in the 1970s. Today, Denmark obtains 20 percent of its energy from wind power and is aiming at 50 percent by 2020. Germany obtains 14 percent of its energy from wind, is the major exporter of wind technology, and has created more than 82,000 jobs in the wind sector, and more than 200,000 total renewable-energy jobs. Wind power has become the country’s fastest-growing job creator over the past three decades.
Even the U.S. Energy Department has concluded that wind power could become the source of one fifth of that nation’s power by 2030, and other studies have shown that wind, solar, and biofuel energy could create five million U.S. jobs by 2030.
The problem with making major inroads on the climate challenge is not a lack of solutions; it is a lack of will.
David Suzuki: Renewable energy requires strength of will | Straight.com
Tags: renewableenergy
Derailment prompts uranium transport concern – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Derailment prompts uranium transport concern
ABC News 5 Nov 08An environment group says a BHP Billiton proposal to transport uranium yellowcake through the Northern Territory should be reconsidered in light of a train derailment near Katherine.
Four carriages left the tracks west of Katherine yesterday and investigators are trying to determine the cause.
Justin Tutty from the No Waste Alliance says BHP’s proposal would see a trainload of radioactive material a day on the same rail line.
“We already have yellowcake coming from South Australia, but BHP’s proposal is something different,” Mr Tutty said.
“We are talking about huge volumes, up to 5,000 tonnes a day, a train movement every day of finely particularised concentrate.
“I don’t think the Territory is equipped to deal with a derailment or a collision involving this radioactive material.”……………………
“We have our eye on the NT Government’s inquiry into the transport of dangerous and hazardous materials in relation to the proposal for a nuclear waste dump,” he said.
“We are concerned about safety regarding the transport of nuclear waste, but this is a whole new ball game.
“This is far greater volumes, daily movements, and we are talking about a radioactive dust.”
Derailment prompts uranium transport concern – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
Breaking News
Boost for renewable energy
Danish wind power company launched a $500 million wind research centre here.Straits Times By Tania Tan Nov 3, 2008 WIND power is picking up as Singapore breezes ahead in its drive to become a global clean energy centre.Danish wind power company Vestas Wind Systems officially launched its $500 million wind research centre here on Monday.
The government will also give research a boost with a $25 million fund to turn green research into marketable applications. It will be administered by the Energy Market Authority……………………
Space constraints also mean that Singapore is unlikely to use wind technology as a source of energy, as wind farms require vast amounts of land.
But an R&D centre is nonetheless good news for Singapore, said executive director of local think tank Energy Studies Institute, Chou Siaw Kiang.
Wind power is becoming very popular in Asia-Pacific countries like China, India and Australia, as these countries look for non-polluting energy sources to satisfy demand, explained Prof Chou.
‘It’s going to be big business, which Singapore can tap on,’ he added……………………..the inaugural Singapore International Energy Week.
Over 2,500 delegates will be in town for the five-day event, which will feature seminars, workshops and cutting edge technology for renewable energy, including solar, wind and fuel cells…………………. Clean energy sector is a key growth area which is expected to generate 7,000 jobs by 2015.(Singapore)
Tags: renewablesd
‘Mutually assured destruction’ would be inevitable – On Line Opinion – 4/11/2008
‘Mutually assured destruction’ would be inevitable
ONLINE Opinion by Stephen Cheleda 4 November 2008 “………………………..The use of nuclear weapons by the major powers as a mode of warfare would spell the end of us all. Everyone is aware of these facts, especially those who control these weapons. They are, after all, weapons of mass destruction. There may be “collateral damage” in a battle, but killing millions of innocent civilians cannot be dismissed as such.
The International Court of Justice arrived at the same conclusion when the World Court Project (through the World Health Organisation) challenged the legality of nuclear weapons. In July 1996 the World Court, after long deliberation and against much pressure from the Nuclear Weapon States, found that the threat or use of nuclear weapons was generally against international humanitarian law. The Court declared unanimously that all states have an obligation to “pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament”………………………
We have to devise a security system, based on effective, enforceable international law that guarantees trading patterns and adequate development of all nations, without the “threat” or false security of nuclear weapons.
This will not happen overnight. It will have to be the result of complex negotiations to radically revise the Charter of the United Nations, which is the bedrock of international law. At present the Charter is interpreted to favour the five Permanent Members (the major nuclear weapon states). It ignores or subverts the need for security of every other nation.
‘Mutually assured destruction’ would be inevitable – On Line Opinion – 4/11/2008
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
The Press Association: Renewable energy plan for islands
Renewable energy plan for islands
Press Association 3 Nov 08 Offshore islands could be entirely powered by wind and wave energy in the future, it has been claimed.The Government is to fund a feasibility study to investigate whether electricity, heat and transport needs can be be supplied by renewables.A 12-month pilot project, which is jointly commissioned by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), is to focus on Inis Mor, Inis Meain and Inis Oirr.
The Press Association: Renewable energy plan for islands
Tags: renewables
Peter Montague: Is Nuclear Power Green?
The Unquenchable Fire Is Nuclear Power Green?
Counter Punch By PETER MONTAGUE 4 Nov 08 We are told that nuclear power is about to achieve a “green renaissance,”……………………scientists have developed two sets of criteria that we can use to judge the “greenness” of competing technologies. The first is called “The 12 principles of green engineering” and the second is “The 12 principles of green chemistry.”………………….Anyone can readily see that nuclear power violates green engineering principles #1 (prefer the inherently nonhazardous) and #2 (prevent instead of manage waste). Nuclear power produces radioactive wastes and “spent fuel,” which are are exceptionally hazardous and long-lived. Just mining the fuel — uranium — has littered the western U.S. (and other parts of the world) with mountainous piles of radioactive sand (“uranium tailings“), which no one knows how to stabilize or detoxify, and which continually blow around and enter water supplies and food chains……………………………Nuclear power also violates green engineering principles #9 (design for easy disassembly) and #11 (design for commercial re-use) because, after a nuclear power plant has lived out its useful life, many of its component parts remain extremely radioactive for centuries or aeons. Large parts of an old nuclear plant have to be carefully disassembled (by people behind radiation shields operating robotic arms and hands), then shipped to a suitable location, and “mothballed” in some way — usually by burial in the ground. An alternative approach is to weld the plant shut to contain its radioactivity, and walk away, hoping nothing bad happens during the next 100,000 years or so. In any case it’s clear that nuclear power violates principles #9 and #11 of green engineering…………..When we compare nuclear power against the principles of green chemistry, we can readily see that it violates #1 (prevent waste), #3 (avoid using or creating toxic substances), and #10 (avoid creating persistent substances) because of the great toxicity and longevity of radioactive wastes. It also violates #7 (use renewable, not depleting, raw materials) because the basic fuel, uranium, is not renewable. Plans for extending the life of global uranium supplies all entail the use of “breeder reactors,” which create plutonium. But plutonium itself violates green chemistry principles 1, 3, 4 and 10. The scientist who discovered plutonium (Glenn Seaborg) once described it as “fiendishly toxic.” Plutonium is also the preferred material for making a rogue atomic bomb, which is why the New York Times has called the world’s existing supplies of plutonium “one of the most intractable problems of the post-cold-war era.”[1]
Lastly, nuclear power plants produce what is called “spent fuel” — a misnomer if there ever was one. “Spent” makes it sound tired and benign. There is nothing benign about “spent fuel.” It is tremendously radioactive — so much so that it must be stored in a large pool of water to keep it cool. If someone accidently (or malevolently) drained the “spent fuel pool” that exists on-site at nearly every nuclear reactor, the “spent fuel” would spontaneously burst into flame and burn out of control for days, releasing clouds of highly-radioactive cesium-137 all the while. Green chemistry principle #12 says our technologies should be chosen to minimize the potential for accidents such as releases and fires. By this standard, nuclear power does not measure up.
Peter Montague: Is Nuclear Power Green?
Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium
1 This Month
22 June – Virtual Event –Climate Change: New Data, New Debate
Monday, June 22, 2026 2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. CT
YouTube. Register here
Protect Sazan Island from the Trump family! https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/protect_sazan_island_from_the_trump_family_loc/?bqFCVab&v=174511&cl=22707147157&_checksum=5e9dde668860e8231c33699735e16a1fbf22ab2cb01da50c999fe8732b9775ef&utm_source=email&utm_medium=blast_email&utm_campaign=174511
25 June- THE PUKE ON NUKES
Thursday, June 25, 2026
7pm Central Time (8pm ET, 6pm MT, 5pm PT) UTC – 5
From NRC & DOE Deregulation to Techno-Fascist Billionaires Going Nuclear, Plus a Few Songs from Atomic Cabaret REGISTER
26 June – Radiation Trainwreck at the NRC / Join the Protect Better Campaign – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/4ZlZ5_qLSHGiLSCg8FF6Bg#/registration
Cuba Is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State
PETITION: “Global Appeal to Endorse Palestinian Right of Return of Refugees”
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
-
Archives
- June 2026 (193)
- May 2026 (306)
- April 2026 (356)
- March 2026 (251)
- February 2026 (268)
- January 2026 (308)
- December 2025 (358)
- November 2025 (359)
- October 2025 (376)
- September 2025 (257)
- August 2025 (319)
- July 2025 (230)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
nuclear-news 