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International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to boost clean energy for Pacific region

Renewable resources are a competitive, low-cost alternative for fossil fuels for the Pacific, and some inspiring renewable energy goals are being set. 

Today’s meeting – which included six Heads of State and IRENA Members in the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu – discussed IRENA’s proposed role in accelerating its deployment, opportunities for collaboration with
other stakeholders and development partners, and provided guidance on IRENA’s new proposals, ensuring that they accord with the Pacific Leaders’ policy goals and priorities.

IRENA meeting heralds new Regional Energy Era (Wam) Khaleej Times, 13 January 2012 ABU DHABI – A Pacific Leader’s Meeting held on Friday in Abu Dhabi by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in advance of its Second Assembly, (January 14-15), issued a public communique confirming the Agency’s proposed work activities to accelerate renewable energy deployment in this important region, which is currently heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Continue reading →

January 14, 2012 Posted by | OCEANIA, renewable | Leave a comment

Renewables supply 39% of Philippines energy needs, and thousands of jobs

Aquino optimistic on renewable energy, Business World, Johanna D. Poblete, 13 Jan 12, PRESIDENT BENIGNO S.C. Aquino III is optimistic the Energy department will achieve an increase in the production of alternative renewable energy that would redound to an increase in employment by 2015.
He noted, for instance, that nearly 39% of the country’s energy requirements are now provided by renewable sources, namely, hydropower, geothermal, solar, wind and biomass.
“We project that the contribution of the biomass sector will increase from 39 megawatts of energy in 2010 to more than 300 megawatts by 2015,” Mr. Aquino said in his speech at the opening of the 1st Philippine International BioEnergy Conference on Thursday.
“Our projections also indicate that in achieving this goal, around 89,000 more jobs will be generated for Filipinos,” he added.
The President said that the development of the industry has a “multiplier effect” not just in terms of empowering consumers, but also by stimulating attendant sectors. “The effects of advancing the biomass sector will also reach close to 577,000 farm families who can benefit, for example, by gaining additional income [from] the sale of agriwaste or forest residues that
can be used in the development of biomass resources,” Mr. Aquino said…. http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=Aquino-optimistic-on-renewable-energy&id=44991

January 13, 2012 Posted by | Philippines, renewable | 1 Comment

Radiation study on muttonbirds in the Pacific

Muttonbirds in radiation study Stuff.co.nz MICHAEL DALY, 22 Dec 11, New Zealand muttonbirds are being studied to see if they were affected by radiation from Japan’s damaged
nuclear power plant.

Samples are being taken from the birds as part of the research into the effects of radiation from the Fukushima plant, …. The research aims to determine the degree to which the mutton bird population was exposed to radiation.

Experts have said the Fukushima disaster was responsible for the largest single release of radioactivity into the ocean, threatening wildlife and fisheries in the region.

Millions of the birds, known as sooty shearwaters, come to this country to breed during the summer months before heading north during the colder southern months….Adams said it was planned to take tissue samples from birds in this country in late March or early April.

Sooty shearwaters had been chosen for the research mainly because they were one of the most abundant seabirds in the Pacific…. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6179864/Muttonbirds-in-radiation-study

December 22, 2011 Posted by | New Zealand, oceans | Leave a comment

Tiny Pacific island Tokelau to go %100 renewable energy – Durban report

Tokelau to be first renewable energy nation Tokelau plans to use only renewable energy from next year. [ABC],  Australia Network News, 9 Dec 2011  The tiny Pacific nation of Tokelau has told a UN conference it plans to use only renewable energy within a year.   It would be the first country in the world to do so.

The head of the Tokelau Government, Foua Toloa, toldPacific Beat although his country is small, it has a powerful message.
“By September, 2012 – Tokelau will be the first nation 100 per cent renewable energy efficient, fulfilling our global obligation,” he said.

“We are making sure our voice is being heard here – especially the smallest of the small here in Durban”. Attending the UN conference in South Africa the Tokelau representatives have called for a legally-binding agreement of emission pledges from all countries. http://australianetworknews.com/stories/201112/3387536.htm?desktop

December 9, 2011 Posted by | OCEANIA, renewable | Leave a comment

Philippines ditches nuclear power study

DoE shelves P100M nuclear safety study, Budget to be channeled to other energy programs, ,  , November 28th, 2011 The Department of Energy (DoE) has completely shelved its P100-million nuclear safety study and will instead channel the full amount to more important energy programs of the government.

Energy Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras told the Inquirer that the bulk, or 40 percent, of the budget would go to the Fueling Sustainable Transport Program (FSTP). With the program, DoE hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while providing cheaper alternatives to gasoline and diesel….. http://business.inquirer.net/32403/doe-shelves-p100m-nuclear-safety-study

November 28, 2011 Posted by | Philippines, politics | Leave a comment

Concern in northern Hawaiian island about radiation from Japan

Why is the Pentagon involved in providing free health care clinics, up to 350 clinical and non-clinical medical personnel, for Kauai’s residents, the north island closest to Japan?   Is the Pentagon concerned about radioactive cesium plumes carried by the wind currents across the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima’s nuclear meltdowns? 

The big utility lobbyists that pay off our politicians are destroying our lands and our lives.  When President Obama says nuclear power is safe, it doesn’t automatically make them safe.

Japan’s Nuclear Radiation and the Pentagon’s Free Medical Clinics in Kauai: Connection? BuzzFlash Blog, JACQUELINE MARCUS , 16 Nov 11 Climate change produced Japan’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.  Although the corporate media and the U.S. government have swept the Fukushima nuclear disaster under the proverbial censorship rug, it’s important to remember that an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale and the ensuing 50-foot high tsunami wave led to a meltdown of three of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors. Japan’s nuclear regulatory agency reported that 31 radioactive isotopes were released. In contrast, 16 radioactive isotopes were released from the A-bomb that hit Hiroshima Aug. 6, 1945. The agency also reported that radioactive cesium released was almost 170 times the amount of the A-bomb, and that the release of radioactive Iodine-131 and Strontium-90 was about two to three times the level of the A-bomb.  And that information doesn’t include the unknown deadly amount of radioactive water from the Fukushima plants that are being perpetually dumped into the Pacific Ocean since the meltdowns occurred last March 2011….. Continue reading →

November 17, 2011 Posted by | health, OCEANIA, USA | Leave a comment

New Zealand MP seeks inquiry on Australia’s nuclear shipments

Uranium passing through NZ ports, Sky News October 30, 2011 A Greens MP has called for an inquiry into Australian shipments of radioactive uranium passing through New Zealand waters and ports in breach of its anti-nuclear stance.

Fortnightly shipments of Australian yellowcake uranium, totalling five thousand tonnes annually, are being shipped through New Zealand ports, according to documents provided to the Sunday Star Times by Green MP Gareth Hughes.

The paperwork shows the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) was unaware of the shipments for 13 years, until late 2009.

That agency had since been replaced by the new Environmental Protection Authority, and an EPA spokeswoman told the newspaper that even though ERMA was unaware of the shipments, the regime that permitted them to pass through New Zealand’s ports had still followed international best practice…..

A spokesman for Prime Minister John Key told the Sunday Star Times yellowcake was ‘Australian dirt, which is essentially harmless’…..

Hughes is calling for an independent inquiry, saying the shipments had no place in a nuclear-free country.

‘Why did the authority fail to approve it for so long, do we have adequate safeguards and response strategies, and what role is New Zealand playing in the international nuclear cycle?’ he said.  http://www.skynews.com.au/eco/article.aspx?id=679499&vId=

October 31, 2011 Posted by | New Zealand, politics international, Uranium | Leave a comment

Cook Islands must develop renewable energy

The Cook Islands lacks major natural resources and regularly experiences natural disasters. Climate change spurred on by rapidly increasing levels of greenhouse gases is expected to heavily impact the region, with salt intrusion into ground water from rising seas a major concern.

Renewable Energy An Imperative For The Cook Islands, Renewable Energy News, by Energy Matters, 4 Oct 11 The Cook Islands, Japan and Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat have stated renewable energy is no longer an optional energy solution for the Pacific region, but an imperative.

Speaking at a signing ceremony for the Rakahanga $1m PV Project, a project designed to reduce the need for generator fuel, Cook Islands Prime Minister Hon Henry Puna, the Forum Deputy Secretary General and Ambassador of Japan said the region must invest heavily in renewable energy – and that investment must be backed by strong political will. Continue reading →

October 4, 2011 Posted by | climate change, OCEANIA, renewable | Leave a comment

Stop shipments of nuclear wastes, say Caribbeans

Caribbean objecting to nuclear waste shipment, Bloomberg, 21 July 11, KINGSTON, JAMAICA, Caribbean officials are calling for an immediate halt to a European shipment of reprocessed nuclear waste that will pass near the islands on its way to Japan. They contend the practice poses a major risk.

Caribbean Community spokesman Leonard Robertson says regional officials have been told by British authorities that the shipment of radioactive waste will be soon. He says they gave no specifics about the vessel for security reasons.

Waste from Japanese nuclear reactors has for years been sent on specially equipped ships to Britain and France for reprocessing, then returned for storage in Japan….http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9OK9ARO0.htm

July 22, 2011 Posted by | OCEANIA, opposition to nuclear, wastes | Leave a comment

France’s tardy response to Pacific nuclear test victims

FRANCE RESPONDS TO TAHITI ON NUKE COMPENSATION
French Polynesia outcry registers in Paris, ,PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT, Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center, With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, July 7, 2011) – The French authorities have responded to a claim by a French Polynesian assembly vice president, Hiro Tefaarere, that the territory’s Social Welfare Fund was to seek millions of dollars in compensation for illnesses caused by France’s nuclear weapons tests…..

The defence ministry in Paris says work has been started between the French state and the Fund in Tahiti on how those deemed eligible for compensation can be paid.

The ministry says France is yet to get a response to its initiative.

Two years ago, France recognised for the first time that its weapons tests weren’t clean but to date only one compensation claim has been recognised.

France tested nearly 200 nuclear weapons in French Polynesia before winding up its programme in 1996…..http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2011/July/07-08-14.htm

July 9, 2011 Posted by | health, OCEANIA | Leave a comment

New Zealand joins International Renewable Energy Agency

NZ becomes member of energy agency, NewsTalk ZB, 2/05/2011 , New Zealand has become a full member of the International Renewable Energy Agency, which is dedicated to the rapid development of renewable energy worldwide.

Acting energy minister Hekia Parata says we’re one of the leading countries in the area, with 74% of our electricity last year coming from renewable sources.

By joining this organisation, Ms Parata says, we have the opportunity to contribute to international efforts to increase the deployment of renewable energy technologies and drive down their costs… http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=195799

May 2, 2011 Posted by | New Zealand, renewable | Leave a comment

Tonga leads Pacific push for renewable energy

AUDIO Tonga steps up its renewable energy push Radio Australia:Pacific Beat: April 11, 2011 There is a growing push towards renewable energy in the Pacific with both Cook Islands and Tuvalu setting ambitious targets to achieve 100 percent renewable energy networks.Tonga too is moving down the same road, having just been admitted as the Pacific’s sole representative on the council of IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency.And tomorrow the country’s first sustainable energy expo will open.It’s been organised by TERM – the Tonga Energy Road Map.
Radio Australia:Pacific Beat:Story:Tonga steps up its renewable energy push

April 12, 2011 Posted by | OCEANIA, renewable, Resources -audiovicual | Leave a comment

Tonga to represnt Pacific islands on International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Tonga appointed to global energy agency,  Australia Network News:, 11 April 11, Lano Fonua from the Tonga Energy Road Map says the small islands of the Pacific will now have a platform to rub shoulders with decision makers.   Tonga has been appointed as the Pacific’s sole representative on the International Renewable Energy Agency’s council (IRENA).A renewable energy organisation in Tonga says the Pacific will receive more global recognition concerning climate change now it has been appointed to an international energy agency…..
Australia Network News:Stories:Tonga appointed to global energy agency

April 11, 2011 Posted by | OCEANIA, renewable | Leave a comment

Top scientists research radioactive waste in Pacific Ocean

“The levels that we observe are not likely to be dangerous to humans at present, but of course over time the levels will be magnified in the food web and with time the levels in the upper level of the food web and the higher predators will probably lead to levels that might be in conflict with human use of those organisms,”

VIDEO Mid-Pacific search for Japan nuclear water : World News Australia on SBS, *By Jenny Curtis, 8 April 11, A Spanish research vessel that’s just finished testing the waters off the South coast of Australia, will head to the Pacific Ocean to search for traces of radioactive waste from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant.  Hesperides research vessel is part of the Malaspina expedition that’s analysing the quality of the oceans around the world.Costing around 23 million dollars, it’s an ambitious project with hundreds of the world’s top scientists involved. Continue reading →

April 9, 2011 Posted by | environment, OCEANIA | 2 Comments

Pacific peoples endangered by radiation in fish

claims by some Japanese scientists said that the radioactivity found in fish will be concentrated in the bones, and thus not harmful to humans, didn’t make sense. “Each year, thousands of tons of fish and their bones are processed into fish meal, animal food and in part to fish sticks,”

Radioactive Decay an Emerging Threat for Pacific People, Online Journal Apr 5, 2011,   by David Hope Radioactive decay is looming as a tremendous threat to the Pacific people. Radioactivity unleashed by the Japanese Fukushima reactor into the Pacific Ocean endangers the livelihoods of millions of people, Continue reading →

April 7, 2011 Posted by | environment, OCEANIA | 2 Comments

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