nuclear-news

Round-up of climate and nuclear news

The UN Climate Change Conference will take place 6-17 November in Bonn, Germany and will be presided over by the Government of Fiji. The COP is the forum where UN members meet to discuss how they will limit climate change. This year’s edition, COP23, is more about preparing procedural decisions than reaching agreements as in Paris. Nevertheless, there will be interesting discussions and protests.  With America now out of climate accords, China is taking the lead.

The nuclear industry is sulking, as it did in 2015, because United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) has again, in 2017 rejected its call for nuclear to be included as “clean”, and rejected its sponsorship. – This is of vital importance to the failing global nuclear industry – to get the UN to classify it as “clean” would be a lifeline. 

Meanwhile – it’s not as if the nuclear war threat has gone away.

Success with Paris climate goals is within our grasp. New United Nations report calls for shutting down coal industry, ramping up renewables.  Enormous private sector investment in renewables and energy efficiency – gives Paris climate goals a real chance.

United Nations Environment Emissions Gap Report 2017.  Record high greenhouse gas emissions in atmosphere- highest for 3 million years.

Need for a new legal framework to protect the coming millions of climate refugees. Global public health emergency is already upon us -climate change.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution finds radioactivity from 9146-1958 nuclear bomb tests is still lingering.

Examining the hype in Australia about space exploration.

ARCTIC and ANTARCTICA . Extreme Warming at the Poles this Week — Arctic and Antarctic Temperatures to Rise to 20-30 C Above Average in Some Locations.

NEW ZEALAND. New Zealand looks to accepting climate change refugees.

USA. Climate and energy.  Trump administration and the nuclear and coal industries to push for their industries as “clean” at UN climate conference. State of California bypasses useless Trump government, as Governor Jerry Browm goes to Bonn climate talks.    Stanford University professor  Mark Z. Jacobson takes legal action against critics of his 100% renewables article. USA government report says Climate Is Warming And Humans Are The Cause.   USA Government Scientist Blocked from Talking About Climate and Wildfires.

Nuclear.  US officials still talking with North Korea, despite President Trump. Chaotic situation at Los Alamos National Laboratory -secrecy about plutonium danger. Trillion-dollar nuclear arms plan sets up budget brawl.

NORTH KOREA. Russia AND the US send nuclear bombers  near North Korea. US will not accept a nuclear North Korea– Defense Secretary Mattis. USA would negotiate with North Korea- but only on USA’s terms.   High-ranking North Korean defector says a US strike would trigger automatic North Korea retaliation.  “Brisk activity” at North Korea’s nuclear site prompts fears of another missile test.  North Korea denies the story that its nuclear test killed hundreds .  North Korea operates a hospital that treats soldiers exposed to radiation at its nuclear test site.

SWEDEN. Sweden’s 65,000 public nuclear fallout shelters, and more to come.

IRAN. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano says ‘no problems” in checking Iran’s nuclear facilities.

FRANCE. French President agrees with Russia’s Putin on need to preserve the Iran nuclear deal. Series of incidents, with safety significance, at French nuclear power plant. France To Decide By End 2018 How Many Nuclear Plants To Shut.

JAPAN.  The truth concerning nuclear accident induced thyroid cancers. Japan TVreport.    Radiation has affected Fukushima’s monkeys: smaller bodies, smaller brains, anaemia. Japan’s nuclear problems: all of their reactors likely to contain faulty Kobe Steel components.

SOUTH AFRICA. South Africa’s Finance Minister put the brakes on nuclear programme, due to the ailing economy. President Zuma still wants a major expansion of nuclear power.

UK.  Britain’s Brexit nuclear headache -leaving Euratom – will have to get its own nuclear inspectors.   Britain’s BBC again fails to address false and misleading information; this time about Moorside nuclear. Evidence that Britain’s nuclear power industry subsidises nuclear weapons.  UK Labour government would sign global anti-nuclear weapons treaty.  Drug use by British navy sailors on nuclear Trident submarine.

INDIA. India’s nuclear industry problems: repeated shutdowns at Kudankulam nuclear power plant.

NIGER. AREVA’s new entity NewCo struggles with unprofitable uranium mine in Niger.

PHILIPPINES. Philippines signed up to the UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty.

GERMANY. Record breaking wind energy in Europe: Germans got electricity for free.

FINLAND. Areva-Siemens and the Finnish electricity company TVO blame each other for delays in nuclear build.

November 4, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes