Nuclear news – week to 22 June

Pandemic.    COVID-19 Is Still Raging in Much of the World  South America Is Now Covid-19 Hot Spot, With Eight Times the World’s Death Rate.

Climate.Warming stripes show that climate change is here and now. Climate in a Fiery World.

NUCLEAR.  Not a lot is happening, probably  largely due to the pandemic.   There is, of course, the continued stream of articles in the mainstream media,extolling the virtues of new nuclear reactors –  most look like handouts from the industry, faithfully regurgitated by relatively ignorant journalists.  
A  leak at China’s showcase Taishan nuclear reactor has raised global concern for the industry. Radioactive leak at Chinese reactor could finish French nuclear exports.

A bit of good news – The pandemic has revived hope that a more sustainable world is possible.

INTERVIEW/ Daniel Ellsberg: Smart statesmen can make bad decisions leading to nuclear war. Biden and Putin agree: ‘Nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought’. Why can’t world leaders agree that a nuclear war should never be fought?  ICAN chief urges Biden and Putin to push for deep cuts in nuclear arsenals, encourage China to back away from arms race.

‘‘Advanced” nuclear reactor designs – the latest version of nuclear wishful thinking.

Earth is now trapping an ‘unprecedented’ amount of heat, NASA says.

Julian Assange and the Collapse of the Rule of Law.

JAPAN. The Fukushima nuclear disaster and the Tokyo Olympics.

EUROPE. NATO’s hostility to the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty is in conflict with its true goal – to become a non-nuclear alliance . NATO readies for a collective response to attacks in space.

UK. Fire at Hinkley Point C building site. We don’t need costly, slow, nuclear power: solar, wind, tidal and wave power can amply do the job. House-building plans thrown into doubt as doubts grow about Wylfa nuclear project.

USA. 

•  The real welfare cheats are weapons makers. U.S. Space Force wants to use directed-energy weapons for space superiority,.
•  The Pentagon’s Project, Pele Military micro-reactors – creates more problems than it solves.  
•  20 Years After Pentagon Papers, Ellsberg Reveals US weighed 1958 nuclear strike on China over Taiwan, 
•  Why Utah really does not need Bill Gates’ small nuclear reactors. 
•  Nuclear Regulatory Commission launches special investigation at Southern Georgia Vogtle 3 nuclear unit. 
• Tough when even a pro nuclear voice has to deplore the corruption in the nuclear industry. Countering a love letter to the nuclear industry .
• Renewable energy consumption grew in 2020 as fossil fuels and nuclear shrank.

CHINA. Is China covering up a nuclear leak? What actually happened at Taishan? French nuclear company and Chinese government once again have a problem with their much vaunted EPR nuclear reactor design. About the radiation leaks at Taishan nuclear power station. The public is always the last to know. Safety concerns on Taishan reactor, but China wants to be world’s nuclear leader by 2050.

RUSSIA. Collaboration between Russia and Europe finally cleans up the most dangerous nuclear ship in the Arctic..

FRANCE. Is the leak in a nuclear reactor in China due to a Framatome manufacturing defect ? Climate and weather hazards to France’s nuclear reactors in summer 2021.

IRAN. U.S. wants nuclear deal done before Iran’s new president takes power.

LIBYA. For the first time, drones autonomously attacked humans.

PAKISTAN. No need for nuclear arsenal once Kashmir issue is resolved: Pakistan PM.

AUSTRALIA. Nuclear waste storage facility legislation passes Senate. Racism on show in the Australian Senate. Premier Marshall must enforce South Australia’s legislation prohibiting nuclear waste dump. 

June 22, 2021 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes