nuclear-news

Week to 5 October – climate/nuclear news

As happens all too often, news media is fixated on you know who. Conflicting stories – Donald Trump ‘incapacitated’ by COVID-19 drug side effects, law professor claims.  The White House’s medical team said Donald Trump “has continued to improve” since Saturday and could be released as early as Monday. Darned if I know what to think, and how this might affect the U.S. election.

Fierce fighting continues in the  Armenia, Azerbaijan conflict .  (The media doesn’t mention  the Azerbaijan threat to bomb Armenia’s nuclear power plant. But perhaps it’s Azerbaiji fear of radioactive pollution that prevents this)

A bit of good news – Good living standards for the world can be attained with reduced energy use

‘We have a chance’: David Attenborough says $500 billion needed to save earth.  A Positive Narrative for the Anthropocene .    Extinction crisis: ′The window of opportunity is closing′.  Debunking myths about saving the natural world.

The climate crisis is heating up nights faster than days in many parts of the world.  Climate change responsible for record sea temperature levels, says study   Coastal flooding will disproportionately impact 31 million people globally 

The safety of the world requires a nuclear-free planet.

Julian Assange could face life in America’s most dreaded ‘Supermax’ prison.

From 38 million English-language articles, study shows Trump as world’s biggest driver of coronavirus misinformation.    Nuclear power and the mainstream media – a convenient advertising platform?

Lunar base woud have to be underground, due to the danger of high radiation on the moon.  On the moon ”normal” humans (i.e males) will get 200 Times the Radiation Experienced on Earth, (what about females?).

‘Reverse course’ towards full nuclear disarmament – UN chief.

Nuclear power is now the most expensive form of generation, except for gas peaking plants’.  Nano diamond batteries from nuclear waste? Impractical and not likely to ever happen.

Exposed! Extinction Rebellion fact checks pro-nuclear front.  Refuting the nuclear lobby‘s nonsense on risks of ionising radiation.  It’s important to bust the pro-nuclear spin.

Ionising radiation – the tragedy of the ”radium girls”.

ARCTIC. Accelerating rate of ice sheet loss from Greenland.

USA.

• Trump with Covid-19 – a potential power vacuum. E-6B Mercury nuclear war command posts in flight on each coast.  As Donald Trump gets coronavirus, USA’s ”doomsday” planes take flight.
• False claims of hacked voter information likely intended to cast doubt on legitimacy of U.S. elections. America’s nuclear waste crisis doesn’t get a mention in Democrats’ or Republicans’ platform.  Joe Biden on climate change.  U.S. election: Progressive groups are mobilizing to de-escalate far right violence at the polls. The road to fascism. Trump is quite open about his plans to derail the election.  Donald Trump Junior calls for volunteers to join an ”army” and ”secure” the 2020 election.  The American election- what will the nuclear order look like after this?
• ”Peaceful” nuclear power for weaponry in space.   USA provocation of China, Iran, Russia.  Heightened risk of nuclear confrontation between the US and China. USA threatens putting more weapons on bombers and submarines if Russia doesn’t agree to USA conditions for arms talks. The Trump administration’s stances on nuclear negotiations don’t even make sense as a starting point. ”The Bomb’ Presents A ‘Secret History’ Of Nuclear War Planning In America.    At Greenfield, Sunderland standouts, residents protest nuclear weapons.
•   Do Ohio nuclear stations really need a bailout ? Where’s the evidence?.  Greater Cleveland Partnership calls for repeal of Ohio nuclear bailout law.  Ohio’s nuclear bailout law caused dissent and trouble for renewables industries.
• One more Utah city withdraws from NuScam small nuclear reactor project.
• USA Dept of Energy unsafely disposing of useless MOX plutonium weapons grade nuclear fuel?  State of New Mexico strngly objects to licensing og Holtec’s nuclear waste dump project.

JAPAN.  Offshore wind energy could replace more than half of the nation’s generation capacity by 2050. TEPCO’s fitness to operate nuke reactors still open to question.  Court rules Fukushima nuclear disaster preventable, increases liabilities.   Japanese Government Is Ordered to Pay Damages Over Fukushima Disaster.  TEPCO: 11m seawall completed at Fukushima plant.  In Rural Fukushima, ‘The Border Between Monkeys And Humans Has Blurred’.  Tokyo Olympic torch relay to start on March 25, 2021 in Fukushima.  Fukushima and freedom of expression. Japan Struggles to Secure Radioactive Nuclear Waste Dump Sites.

UK. UK to return high-level nuclear waste to Germany.  Plans for Bradwell B nuclear power station could collapse.  UK govt to give EDF a blank cheque for building Sizewell C nuclear power plant.  Call to British govt to not allow restart of Hinkley Point B nuclear reactors, with cracks in their cores.

EUROPE.  Severe floods in Italy and France.

RUSSIA. Daunting task of removal of Russia’s spent nuclear fuel rods from Andreeva Bay.

INDIA. Tensions between 3 nuclear-armed powers are rising toward the boiling point .

ARMENIA. Heavy military clashes between Armenian and Azeri forces.

IRAQ.  Congenital abnormalities. Thorium and uranium, in infants and children living near an active U.S. military base in Iraq.

GERMANY. Germany launches new search for permanent nuclear waste disposal site.  90 areas in Germany identified as potentially suitable for nuclear waste burial.

FRANCE. Flamanville nuclear reactor – patched up, but – dangerous and illegal , say groups. Two new appeals against the Flamanville EPR.    In September, French nuclear production reached its second lowest level on record.

IRAN. UN nuclear watchdog inspects second Iran site.

INDONESIA. Call to Indonesia to ratify UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty.

BRAZIL. Brazil has 1.2 million renewable energy jobs. — GO ECO GREEN21

PHILIPPINES. Cost and safety dangers should rule out nuclear power for the Philippines.

AUSTRALIA. China’s zero emissions target is contrasted with Australia’s inaction on global heating.

October 5, 2020 - Posted by Christina MacPherson | Christina's notes