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Nuclear reactors are the biggest water guzzler

Heat Waves Putting Pressure on Nuclear Power’s Outmoded Cooling Technologies, REUTERS By Lisa Song at SolveClimate,  May 4, 2011 “……Climate change studies published in research journals such as Science and the Journal of Climate project longer and more intense heat waves over the next century worldwide, adding constraints to water-intensive power systems.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, thermoelectric generation in the U.S. from coal, natural gas and nuclear withdraws more freshwater per year than the entire agricultural sector. Overall, nuclear plants consume up to 25 percent more water than fossil fuel plants…..http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/04/idUS163919996420110504

May 5, 2011 Posted by | USA, water | Leave a comment

France and Britain want to water down new nuclear safety requirements

 France and Britain have been pushing for the tests to be as watered-down as possible. As Europe’s most prolific nuclear power producers, these countries are said to be concerned that the plane-related stress tests could force the closure of plants 

EU nuclear stress tests could prove less strenuous than expected, Deutsche Welle, By Mark Hallam, May 4 Europe is preparing new stress tests designed to put nuclear power stations through their paces. It’s a response primarily to the problems at Japan’s Fukushima plant. But will the tests be as rigorous as promised? Continue reading →

May 5, 2011 Posted by | EUROPE, safety | Leave a comment

US Nuclear REgulatory Commission voted on Yucca Mt – but which way?

The commissioners did not reveal the direction of their votes, leaving it unclear whether the commission was divided on the issue

US Nuclear Commissioners Have Voted On Fate Of Yucca Mountain, NASDAQ, By Tennille Tracy, WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- 5 May 11,  U.S. nuclear commissioners said Wednesday that they have voted on the Obama administration’s request to abandon a nuclear waste project at Yucca Mountain, Nev., appearing to contradict recent statements by the chairman of the U.S. nuclear agency suggesting the commissioners were still debating the issue. Continue reading →

May 5, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Potential of renewable energy to outstrip global need – UN report

“Scenarios are largely consistent in indicating widespread growth in renewable energy deployment around the globe,” 

UN Renewables ‘Bible’ Says Clean Energy Can Outstrip Demand, Bloomberg, By Alex Morales – May 4, 2011  Wind and solar power are among six renewable energy options that have the potential to outstrip total world energy needs and may grow as much as 20-fold over the next four decades, a draft United Nations report said. Continue reading →

May 5, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Courageous battle to save Fukushima’s abandoned animals

The Hachiko Coalition is calling for the organized, and immediate evacuation of all uncontaminated domestic animals and livestock inside the exclusion zone.

Tens of thousands of concerned people have signed on to multiple petitions requesting evacuation on the Internet..

Hachiko Coalition: Animal Rescuers Defy Orders, Enter TEPCO Radiation Exclusion Zone to Rescue Starving Pets  SF Gate, May 04, 2011 The Hachiko Coalition calls attention to the plight of pets left inside the evacuation zone in Japan. Continue reading →

May 5, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011, Japan, Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

Containers from Japan exceed EU radiation limits

Belgium finds radiation on containers from Japan,  * Containers discovered by staff in port of Zeebrugge * Radiation levels surpass EU limits on some rust spots

BRUSSELS, May 4 (Reuters) – Belgium’s radiation safety regulator has discovered radiation levels surpassing European Union limits on a shipping container from Japan, the agency said on Wednesday.The agency is decontaminating the container after it found radiation from Cesium-137 being emitted at a level of 0.5 microsieverts per hour in two rust spots.This exceeds a limit of 0.2 microsieverts per hour suggested by European officials. ..http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFLDE7432CI20110504

May 5, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

Action on Climate Change will at last have a Canadian political advocate

Elisabeth May will help ensure that climate change and clean energy issues are a prominent part of the national conversation over the next four years

Canada’s Green party looks to bright future following Elizabeth May victory, Guardian UK 4 May 11,  The environment may finally play a part in Canada’s political debate now the Green party has its first seat • Canada elects its first Green MP

Green party leader Elizabeth May added to Canada‘s psephological earthquake on Monday night by winning her party’s first seat in British Columbia, just as Canada swept Stephen Harper’s government to its first majority. Continue reading →

May 5, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics | Leave a comment

Global warming resulting in faster sea level rise

Sea levels rising higher and faster, Sydney Morning Herald, Ben Cubby, May 5, 2011 SEA levels will rise higher and faster than the United Nations predicted just four years ago, a major international study has found.

The new data suggests that, on average, the seas will rise by up to 1.6 metres by the year 2100 – a finding that has serious implications for Australian governments grappling with coastal planning.

…… The rate is expected to accelerate as the world warms this century and the process will be compounded as more ice cover is lost. White ice fields reflect sunlight away from the Earth’s surface, whereas the darker oceans absorb more of the sun’s heat, amplifying global warming.
……: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/sea-levels-rising-higher-and-faster-20110504-1e8j7.html#ixzz1LVj077J2

May 5, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, climate change | 5 Comments

Wikileaks revealed details of Al Qaeda’s nuclear threats

Abu al-Libi, al Qaeda’s third in command and “operational chief” before he was captured in 2005, reportedly said the nuclear device was “located in Europe” and would be used in retaliation over bin Laden’s death, according to the leaked files. 

WikiLeaks docs: Nuclear reprisals if bin Laden killed, Privacy Inc, by Declan McCullagh, 3 May 11, Recently-released WikiLeaks documents show that detained al Qaeda members have predicted nuclear reprisals if Osama bin Laden were captured or killed.

The classified Defense Department files, obtained from detainee interviews at the Guantanamo Bay prison, were released by the document-sharing Web site a week before the raid in Pakistan that resulted in bin Laden’s demise. Continue reading →

May 4, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, safety, Wikileaks | Leave a comment

US doctors say that Japan’s revised radiation rules endanger children

the exposure limit set for school grounds in the area affected by radiation from the crippled nuclear power plant  – 20 millisieverts per year – puts children and pregnant women at an unacceptable risk for cancer.

Japan: Are Kids Being Exposed to Too Much Radiation?, TIME  by KRISTA MAHR , May 3, 2011 , A U.S. medical group has slammed the Japanese government and senior nuclear adviser Toshiso Kosako has tearfully resigned over the levels of radiation exposure Tokyo says are safe for students at elementary and junior high schools in Fukushima prefecture. Continue reading →

May 4, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan | 3 Comments

Grave financial risk for Japanese government if TEPCO insolvent

unlimited liability could push TEPCO into insolvency and force the government to take a majority stake in the company

Japan’s Nuclear Rescue Plan: The Unintended Consequence of Unlimited Liability, BNet, By Kirsten Korosec | May 3, 2011, The Japanese government — once bosom buddies with Tokyo Electric Power — wants the company to face unlimited liability for damages from itstroubled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Continue reading →

May 4, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Robot reveals high radiation inside Fukushima nuclear plant

 Robot sends back footage from inside Fukushima plant. Telegraph 4 May 11, Tokyo Electric Power Company release new video shot by a remote-controlled robot, showing inside reactor No. 1 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

….  monitoring equipment showed that radiation levels were far higher than expected.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said it will combat the danger by installing fans with filters at the damaged reactor in an attempt to reduce radiation inside to one-twentieth of current levels.

TEPCO has said it may take the rest of the year to bring the nuclear plant back under control…… http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8491624/Robot-sends-back-footage-from-inside-Fukushima-plant.html

May 4, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

Suspected terrorists arrested at Sellafield nuclear plant

TERROR ALERT: FIVE ARRESTED AT SELLAFIELD NUCLEAR PLANT Express co, UK  May 4 2011 by Paul Jeeves and John Twomey, ANTI-TERROR police were questioning five men last night amid fears of an Al Qaeda-inspired plot to attack the Sellafield nuclear plant.

The suspects, in their 20s and believed to be of Bangladeshi origin, were caught filming at the highly sensitive site in Cumbria – 250 miles from their homes in London.Armed police arrested the men on bank holiday Monday only hours after Osama Bin Laden was killed by US special forces in Pakistan.

The nuclear plant has been placed on high alert following Al Qaeda threats to unleash a “nuclear hellstorm” in revenge for the terror chief’s death. Last night police seized a small container of “suspicious material” at one of the suspects homes……http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/244616/Terror-Alert-Five-arrested-at-Sellafield-nuclear-plantTerror-Alert-Five-arrested-at-Sellafield-nuclear-plant#ixzz1LRTP0QrS

May 4, 2011 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Seabed near Fukushima highly contaminated by radiation

High-Level Radiation Found on Seabed Near Japan’s Crippled Nuclear Plant, The Chosunilbo, 4 May 11, Japanese officials say radiation readings are 100 to 1,000 times the normal level on the Pacific seabed near the Fukushima nuclear power plant that was damaged in a natural disaster in March.

Local news media Tuesday quoted the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, as saying that high levels of radioactive materials were found in samples taken from the seabed at points 20 to 30 meters deep….. http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/05/04/2011050401113.html

May 4, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

Despite the Nuclear establishment’s power, Japanese anti nuclear protestors persist

“The nuclear power industry is a strong political force here,” said Masae Yuasa, a professor of international studies at Hiroshima City University. “Their solution will be not to abandon nuclear technology; they won’t allow it politically. They’ll advocate spending even more money on nuclear power to perfect the science.”

The industry conducts detailed studies to find communities where resistance will be minimal. It pays millions of dollars a year to towns that agree to host a nuclear plant, building roads and hiring residents for well-paying jobs.

Japan islanders oppose proposed nuclear plant, year after year, For decades, residents of Iwaishima have taken an aggressive stand, turning their backs on negotiation. Graying residents, mostly in their 70s, have allied with young antinuclear activists., Los Angeles Times, By John M. Glionna, May 4, 2011 Continue reading →

May 4, 2011 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

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