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Earth Hour in India’s smallest State

Earth Hour on Saturday TNN | Mar 30, 2012,  The Earth Hour 2012 will be observed on March 31 from 8.30pm to 9.30pm, when people all over the world will turn off the lights to create awareness about climate change. Enthusiasts in Goa, too, have organized some programmes at Margao and Saligao. At Saligao some youth have organized a programme at Lourdes Convent open air courts, from 8.30pm to 9.30 pm. WWF Goa has urged citizens to switch off their lights for one hour on Saturday.  …  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Earth-Hour-on-Saturday/articleshow/12462295.cms

March 30, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Earth Hour – a global event to show how we can conserve energy

Map of cities participating in Earth Hour

http://www.theage.com.au/multimedia/environment/earth-hour-map

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  Earth Hour is a worldwide event that is organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, encouraging households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour to raise awarenessabout the need to take action on climate change. Earth Hour was conceived by WWF and The Sydney Morning Herald in 2007, when 2.2 million residents of Sydney participated by turning off all non-essential lights.[1] Following Sydney’s lead, many other cities around the world adopted the event in 2008.[2][3] Earth Hour 2012 will take place on March 31, 2012 from 8:30p.m. to 9:30p.m., at participant’s local time.

Earth Hour 2012 will take place on March 31, 2012 from 8:30pm to 9:30pm.[4]

In February, Earth Hour launched its 2012 campaign, “I Will If You Will”, with the intention of engaging its growing global community to go beyond the hour and coordinate their efforts publicly through Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and email. Using a dedicated YouTube platform [5], IWIYW asks Earth Hour’s digital community to inspire people from all corners of the globe to take sustainability actions, and to share their commitment to the environment with their own social media networks.

Executive Director and Co-Founder Andy Ridley said, “Earth Hour’s challenge is no longer to connect people; the challenge is to offer a reason to connect. Any movement of change begins with symbolism – it’s a needed step to prove enough people care about an issue. Earth Hour is past the beginning now, and lots of people are switching their lights off every year in March. We’re now at the stage of taking it beyond the hour.” [6]

Further proof of Earth Hour’s change in direction came when it was announced its global headquarters was moving from Sydney to Singapore. A launch event took place at ION Orchard on February 20, where it was announced that the move was supported by Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB). [7]

March 30, 2012 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

Japanese govt losing credibility, as Fukushima not anywhere near safe

The spent fuel rods stored at the No. 4 reactor pose a particular threat, experts say, because they lie unprotected outside the unit’s containment vessel. Tokyo Electric has been racing to fortify the crumpled outer shell of the reactor, and to keep the tank fed with water. But should a problem also arise with cooling the spent fuel, the plant could run the risk of another colossal radiation leak, experts say.

“The plant is still in a precarious state,” 

Japan Admits Nuclear Plant Still Poses Dangers By HIROKO TABUCHI NYT,  March 29, 2012, TOKYO — The damage to the core of at least one of the meltdown-stricken reactors at Fukushima could be far worse than previously thought, raising fresh concerns over the plant’s stability and gravely complicating the post-disaster cleanup, a recent internal investigation has shown.

The results of the inquiry, released this week by the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, also cast doubt over the Japanese government’s declaration three months ago that the ravaged site is now under control. Continue reading →

March 30, 2012 Posted by | Japan, Reference, safety | Leave a comment

No new nuclear power plants says retiring CEO of Exelon nulcear company

Exelon’s ‘Nuclear Guy’: No New Nukes Forbes, Jeff McMahon , C3/29/2012  Nuclear power is no longer an economically viable source of new energy in the United States, the freshly-retired CEO of Exelon, America’s largest producer of nuclear power, said in Chicago Thursday.

And it won’t become economically viable, he said, for the forseeable future Continue reading →

March 30, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

2 big energy companies pull out of UK’s nuclear power projects

Energy firms abandon nuclear plans,  Google News, (UKPA) –30 Mar 12 The Government’s plans for a nuclear-power renaissance are in disarray after two of the “big six” energy giants pulled out of a venture to build new reactors…… The venture was hit by the global economic crisis and Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear power in response to the disaster at Fukushima following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami last year,… as well as the significant costs of the project…… They also confirmed they were committed to investing in energy schemes in the UK, including renewables and gas, which have shorter payback times on capital investment than nuclear build.

The latest withdrawal from nuclear new-build comes after Scottish and Southern Energy announced last year that it was pulling out of the NuGeneration joint venture to build a new plant at a site near Sellafield, West Cumbria….. Gary Smith, of the GMB union, said: “This is a devastating blow which leaves the UK Government energy strategy in tatters.” … environmental groups seized on the news as evidence that nuclear power, which provides just under a fifth of UK electricity supplies, was not a financially-viable option for the country’s future energy mix. They called for the Government to back renewables, which they said had the potential to create thousands of jobs, supply households and businesses with clean, safe and affordable electricity, and tackle climate change.

March 30, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, UK | Leave a comment

Price, and politics too, are bringing nuclear power development to a halt

U.K. Feels the Fallout From Nuclear-Industry Woes, WSJ,   By ANDREW PEAPLE, 30 Mar 12, Nuclear power has fallen out of fashion fast since last year’s Fukushima accident; now even supportive governments can’t catch a break. German utilities RWE RWE.XE -1.27% and E.ON EOAN.XE -1.79% on Thursday scrapped plans to invest £15 billion ($23.8 billion) building two new reactors in the U.K., …. Continue reading →

March 30, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, UK | Leave a comment

$billions needed from Japanese government to save Tepco from bankruptcy

TEPCO seeks new billions from Japan   CNN   March 29, 2012 – 
*Tokyo Electric Power Co. is asking the Japanese government for about $22 billion
*The company is reeling from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
* Analysts say it the accident may cost up to 10 trillion yen ($120 billion)
Tokyo  – Japan’s largest utility asked the government for 1 trillion yen ($12 billion) in fresh capital Thursday to stay solvent as it faces enormous compensation costs for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

The Tokyo Electric Power Co. is also seeking another 800 billion yen ($10 billion) from a government fund to help it compensate people affected by the Fukushima Daiichi accident, including the estimated 100,000-plus people displaced. It has already requested more than 1.7 trillion yen from that fund…. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/29/world/asia/japan-tepco/

March 30, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Japan, politics | Leave a comment

India removing freedom of information about nuclear industry

 the bill provides for penal action against persons who disclose the information regarding nuclear energy establishments.

“This clause will be used as a shield to prevent disclosure of information relating to even allegations of human rights violation and corruption in such bodies,”

Civil society and govt divided over nuclear safety, Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times, New Delhi, March 29, 2012 The Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill is becoming a new flashpoint between the government and the civil society.   The bone of contention is two clauses in the bill which aims to restrict application of transparency law — the Right To Information (RTI) — in nuclear energy establishments.  These provisions will prevent the citizens from seeking sensitive information regarding nuclear and radiation safety even though section 8 of the RTI Act provides adequate protection of legitimate needs of information which should not be disclosed. Continue reading →

March 30, 2012 Posted by | civil liberties, India | Leave a comment

Scotland’s renewable energy winning success, and providing many jobs

Energy Minister delighted as Scotland beats renewable energy target Daily Record co UK, Mar 29 2012 FIGURES revealed today that an extra 45 per cent of renewable energy was generated in Scotland last year compared with 2010. The statistics published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change statistics mean around 35% of Scotland’s electricity needs came from renewables in 2011, assuming that gross consumption in 2011 is similar to 2010.

This beats the Scottish Government’s target of 31% for last year. Energy Minister, Fergus Ewing was delighted with the news. He said: “It’s official: 2011 was a record breaker with enough green electricity being produced in Scotland to comfortably beat our interim target. ”And Scotland met almost 40% of the UK’s renewables output in 2011, demonstrating just how much the rest of the UK needs our energy.

“We are seeing great progress towards our goal of generating the equivalent of 100% of Scotland’s electricity needs from renewables by 2020.” The figures show that renewable electricity generation, wind energy generation and hydro generation were all at a record high in 2011…..
Liberal Democrat Energy spokesman Liam McArthur said the figures, taken together with the Scottish Renewables report showing that over 11,000 jobs are directly related to the development of the renewables sector, confirm that Scotland is capitalising on the rewards that the renewable energy industry can bring…
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/03/29/scotland-beats-renewable-energy-target-reveals-new-statistics-86908-23806298/

March 30, 2012 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

Japan’s Trade Minister backs energy conservation, and shift from nuclear power

 Unlikely Hand Flips Japan’s Power Switch Trade Minister Breaks With Predecessors to Back Energy Conservation, Guide Shift From Nuclear WSJ, March 29, 2012, By MITSURU OBE And PHRED DVORAK,  TOKYO—Japan’s shift away from nuclear power, prompted by last year’s Fukushima disaster, is being shepherded by an unlikely proponent: the trade minister. Yukio Edano says the country has to adjust to a new era of energy conservation, in contrast to his predecessors at the
powerful Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, who were anxious to keep Japan’s export-led economy chugging along on a plentiful supply of power. Continue reading →

March 30, 2012 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Wind energy for Japan, as nuclear energy shuts down

Floating Windmills in Japan Help Wind Down Nuclear Power: Energy Bloomberg, By Chisaki Watanabe – Mar 29, 2012  Japan  is preparing to bolt turbines onto barges and build the world’s largest commercial power plant using floating windmills, tackling the engineering challenges of an unproven technology to cut its reliance on atomic energy. Continue reading →

March 30, 2012 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) recognise Iran’s right to nuclear energy

BRICS nations recognize Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, http://www.tehrantimes.com/component/content/article/96476 Tehran Times , 29 March 12,  TEHRAN – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the leading emerging economies in the world which are known as the BRICS, on Thursday recognized Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy consistent with its international obligations, the Hindu Business Line reported. Continue reading →

March 30, 2012 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

The world’s dangerous complacency about nuclear terrorism

the summit in Seoul called only for further voluntary reductions by the end of 2013. That is a weak commitment: the International Panel on Fissile Material estimates world stocks of HEU at 1,300 tonnes, plus 450 tonnes of separated plutonium. 

Nuclear security, Threat multiplier Dangerous complacency about nuclear terrorism The Economist, Mar 31st 2012 | SEOUL NUCLEAR mayhem can come from rogue states or badly run power stations. That fact escapes nobody in South Korea, just a mountain range away from rocket-mad North Korea, and with Japan’s stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi plant across the sea.

But it was a third threat—terrorism—that brought leaders from 53 countries to a summit in Seoul on March 26th-27th. Continue reading →

March 30, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, safety | 1 Comment

A very long haul to clean up Savannah River’s plutonium wastes

The amount of plutonium in the waste tanks is uncertain. Savannah River was built to make plutonium, and the material in the tanks is what was left over after the material was produced in reactors and scavenged in chemical plants. But a fair amount ended up in the waste tanks

A Very Long Road for Military Nuclear Waste By MATTHEW L. WALD, NYT, March 29, 2012  Slowly, slowly, the Energy Department is moving forward with solidifying the liquid nuclear wastes left over from cold-war weapons production. On Thursday, the department said it had closed two more of the 51 underground tanks at the Savannah River Site  in western South Carolina. The high-level waste was mixed with molten glass to keep it chemically locked up for millennia, and the lower-level material was mixed with a kind of cement that is supposed to keep it in place until the radioactivity dies down.

The department has 22 tanks at Savannah River that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency standards , mostly because they are single-wall tanks rather than double-wall. It closed two of them in 1997 but has faced numerous technical problems. Continue reading →

March 30, 2012 Posted by | - plutonium, Reference, USA | Leave a comment

CT scans a radiation concern, especially for young patients with gastrointestinal illnesses

Patients with digestive disorders may receive high levels of X-ray radiation Medical Express, March 29, 2012  Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other gastrointestinal (GI) disorders may be exposed to significant doses of diagnostic radiation, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

“Our results show that significant increases in radiation exposure in the last decade have paralleled the increased use of computed tomography imaging,” said Alan N. Desmond, MB, BMedSc, MRCPI, of the Cork University Hospital, Ireland, and lead author of this study. “While cumulative exposure is highest in patients with Crohn’s disease, high exposure may also occur in patients with other gastrointestinal disorders.”….

because CT uses higher levels of radiation than other imaging options, more widespread use has led to increases in the amount of radiation to which patients are exposed. This is a cause for concern, because radiation exposure might be associated with increased lifetime risk of
cancer. These risks may be particularly relevant to younger patients.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-patients-digestive-disorders-high-x-ray.html

March 30, 2012 Posted by | health, USA | Leave a comment