Once more with fervour – nuclear marketing: theme for June 2016
The nuclear lobby is playing a high stakes gamble – marketing nuclear power with renewed fervour. It’s a gamble, because they’ve gotta sell it off fast, before the next radioactive catastrophe.
INTERNAL Nuclear Marketing is going on like crazy, especially in the USA, They’re still toting nuclear as a climate change action – a patently false story. They push that for Big Nuclear, and then they push a new set of lies for New Little Nuclear
EXTERNAL Nuclear marketing. Any country that already has this unsafe, uneconomic, trash-producing technology is mad keen to salvage the drastic financial nuclear situation – by flogging their nuclear technology off to other countries.
Coal and nuclear – the ugliest twins of global warming and environmental damage theme for April 2016
The nuclear industry proudly touts itself as the solution to climate change. But nothing could be further from the truth. The full nuclear fuel chain emits large amounts of Co2 and other greenhouse emissions. In the coming decades, indirect carbon dioxide emissions from nuclear power plants will increase considerably, because high-grade resources of uranium are exhausted and much more fossil energy will have to be used to mine uranium. In view of this trend, nuclear power plants will no longer have an emissions advantage over modern gas-fired power plants, let alone in comparison to the advantages offered by increased energy efficiency or greater use of renewable energies.
Even when they pretend that nuclear power would cut emissions, the industry itself is well aware that the thousands of reactors needed to have any real impact could not be up and running for many decades – way too late for combatting the global warming process.
That situation suits the fossil fuel industries perfectly. Coal can keep on being mined – “in the meantime”, and nuclear power can take over many decades later, when the coal runs out.
Fossil fuel and nuclear industries are large centralised operations. The much touted Small Modular Nuclear Reactors are supposed to be “decentralised”, but in fact are produced in, and totally dependent on, the same centralised grandiose way as the “conventional” big reactors.
The nuclear industry is very comfortable indeed, with the continuance of dirty fossil fuel industries, aiming for a smooth transition later on, when it can get its dirty industry up and running – meanwhile posing as the world’s saviour from climate chnage.
Coal and nuclear – in it together promoting global warming. Theme for April 16
It’s really hard to estimate the full carbon footprint of the nuclear industry . Greenhouse gases are emitted in all stages of the lifecycle of a nuclear reactor: construction, operation, fuel production, dismantling and waste disposal. Leaving out any of these five stages will bias estimates towards lower values. The last two contributions, dismantling and waste disposal are particularly difficult to estimate. Not many commercial reactors have been fully decommissioned.
The ever repeated claim that nuclear power is emissions-free is simply not true.
Without subsidies for coal and nuclear The free market would choose the path to the most cost effective and cleanest sources of energy which would include wind, solar, small-scale hydro, geothermal, energy efficiency, tidal, and certainly not nuclear or “clean coal.”
The fossil fuel and nuclear industries are in this public deception together. Indeed, nuclear power is in itself a fossil fuel industry, depending on mining uranium (or thorium, which is then converted to uranium). The coal industry is confident of continuing for several decades, and then handing over to the nuclear industry, as coal runs out. The nuclear industry is happy about this, because it takes decades to get reactors set up and running.
Where these two toxic industries are also in agreement is in the aim to slow down, preferable stifle, the development of clean, and cheaper renewable energy sources, especially wind and solar power.
They also like the scenario promoted in the nuclear advertising film “Pandora’s Promise” – that is the endless growth of energy use. Coal and nuclear advocates do not like the idea of energy efficiency, energy conservation.
Nuclear Power History – theme for January 2016
Lies and violence were the origin of nuclear power. First of all, in 1942, the work of Dr Charles Pecher, who sought to relieve cancer pain, using radiation -was taken over by the Manhattan Project. The plan now was to devise a radiological weapon that would kill people, but leave property intact. This plan was then changed, in favour of the more dramatic atomic explosions – which were hastily used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki just in time, as the war was ending, with Japan ready to surrender.
The nuclear scientists, for various motives, (in some cases, guilt) now decided to produce the “peaceful atom”. USA helped 127 Nazi rocket scientists, led by Wernher Von Braun, to move to America, to develop nuclear energy, which would be “too cheap to meter”.
Nuclear energy wasn’t really cheap at all, and required huge government subsidy, and a law to make sure that the tax-payer would pay up for any serious accident, (the Price Anderson Act). USA firms helped other governments to get this “peaceful energy” – and soon all of these countries had nuclear weapons. That was the main reason they wanted it.
The lies, the cover-ups, the expense, the escalating weaponry, continue to this day. Now the nuclear lobby is engaged in a lying campaign that depicts renewable energy as “not feasible”, and depicts ionising radiation as “good for you’ at low doses. It dismisses the radioactive waste problem – ” a solution will be found” (USA’s Waste Confidence Rule). In UK the latest lie is that super nuclear reactors are ready – to “eat up” the radioactive waste.
Post Nuclear World
The sinister side of the push for “New Nuclear” is that it is a justification for doing nothing about the accumulating toxic wastes and the toxic nuclear weapons and reactors. Such a comfortable temptation – leave this nastiness for our grand and great granchildren to fix.
The present entire reptilean assembly of nuclear industry chiefs and wannabe chiefs, and executives and lobbyists, and the bought politicians and media, will be dead then, having enjoyed their comfortable well-paid lives.
It is up to the ‘alternative’ and ‘social’ media to expose their lies and to highlight the compelling three present day challenges:
– to close down the global nuclear industry, and especially to expose and prevent the ‘New ‘Nuclear’ deception.
– to deal with the existing masses of radioactive trash – interim above ground storage, then burial near to the site of production – the ‘least worst’ option.
-to dismantle the useless nuclear weapons empire, including the poisonous depleted uranium weapons. (Today’s enemies effectively use much simpler and cheaper weapons)
Post nuclear world 1
We must believe that it is not too late, because we cannot afford to give up. It may be that the world now must adapt to the climate changes of this heating planet. At the same time, we have to address the continuing causes of climate change.
Overpopulation is an underlying cause. But as standards of living, rise, with education of women rising, populations do in fact reduce their birth rates, and this has happened in the developed world.
The culture of endless consumption must change. This is one area where the nuclear industry is insidiously dangerous. As they showed in their slick advertising film “Pandora’s Promise”, nuclear energy is all about endless electricity for endless over-consumption.
When it comes to adaptation, this means that we are now, more than ever, one world. National borders have already become meaningless, as pollution, and dangers such as nuclear radiation spread around the planet. With climate change,we are already seeing climate refugees, and that can only increase, as parts of the world become uninhabitable.
We surely need the ethical messages, to transcend the prevailing philosophy of money as the one goal in life. Many indigenous peoples understand this. Pope Francis gets it. But these people can’t do it on their own.
Christmas is nothing but a silly tasteless charade, unless it means a change in attitude towards our mindless consumption, and towards compassion and help for refugees. Friends of the Earth said it. long ago, with their slogan – Think Globally, Act Locally.
Radiation & science denial- theme for October 2015
Denial of the health effects of ionising radiation is the latest and the most sinister, of the lies against science. That lie is now being used as part of the campaign to get nuclear recognised at the UN December Paris Climate Conference as a “clean” technology – worthy of tax-payer funded incentives.
Denial of science is not new – goes back to Flat Earth and beyond. It does have to do with complex psychological issues. These include resentment and jealousy of the respected position of scientists, fear of change, and a kind of helplessness in the face of challenging circumstances.
There are other motivations – such as the desire to be famous and important – as being someone “brave enough to oppose the mainstream”
Then there’s the “libertarian idea” – so strongly believed by Rupert Murdoch, that government must not interfere with personal freedom. This idea would include – the freedom to promote smoking to young people, to get a job as an asbestos miner, to refuse to vaccinate children against fatal diseases, to accept that low level irradiation of one’s children is OK.
But none of these motivations would get “air play”, would prevail, if it were not for the Money Motive – the good old “What’s In It For Whom?” That’s the impetus behind public relations people, “consultants” , journalists, commentators, TV producers, film-makers etc who are paid by think tanks that are fronts for polluting industries, and for corporate giants like the Koch brothers. And – don’t let’s forget, – the scientists and science media who are paid by governments that are trapped – financially beholden to polluting corporations, and to the military industrial complex
Designing for recycling of rare earths is essential – theme for April 2015
The world is still in the grip of the philosophy of endless growth, endless consumption of material “goods” and energy. Along with that goes the “throwaway mentality.
The result – not just the disappearance of precious resources – water, land , biodiversity – but also the dirty pollution of the ecosphere with wastes. One of the worst is radioactive wastes. (Don’t be caught by the nuclear lobby lie about the’nuclear fuel cycle’ – which is really a chain leading to toxic wastes needing burial)
However, environmentalists must wake up to the fact that nearly all of our advanced technology requires “rare earths” – cerium, 15 lanthanoid elements and one or both of the elements yttrium and scandium. Thorium is often classed with them. Mining these elements results in highly toxic radioactive tailings.
If we’re serious about not creating radioactive wastes disasters, such as the notorious ones in Malaysia and China then the answer must be – DESIGN – designing wind turbines, cell phones, lap-tops etc – in a such a way that the rare metals can be easily retrieved and used again.
“The situation clearly calls for international policy initiatives to minimize the seemingly bizarre situation of spending large amounts of technology, time, energy and money to acquire scarce metals from the mines and then throwing them away after a single use.”
World’s nuclear industry in crisis – theme for May 2015
Take heart – all who seek clean energy – the nuclear industry is in a right mess!
Apart from the chaotic state of nuclear economics, and of security, weapons proliferation, public opposition, desperate marketing, frantic agonising over waste disposal , as well as the drive for public amnesia about Chernobyl and Fukushima – apart from all that – the nuclear lobby are all wrangling among themselves.
(The Spin graphic within picture is adapted from http://spinoriginal.blogspot.)com.au/ )
There’s an unseemly public frenzy from all the different reactor corporations to market their respective products. This includes marketing the existing old reactors – to continue running them for many decades, despite their deterioration,- because this is much more profitable than getting new ones. And – also – postpones for future generations the massive costs of dealing with the reactors’ radioactive corpses.
Then there’s the drive to sell little reactors, and Thorium reactors – an absolute nightmare of security concerns in these. And of course, the uranium industry won’t like this.
It’s quite likely that in trying to outdo each other, the nuclear industry will kill off itself faster than any anti nuclear campaigns. AREVA is already offering reactors for sale below their cost price.
10 reasons why the global nuclear industry is in crisis – theme for May 2015
The global nuclear industry is sick, indeed, it is in palliative care. And here are 10 good reasons why:
1. Gloom overlies the nuclear lobby, fear of this question: the next nuclear catastrophe. Not IF it will happen, but WHEN and WHERE?
2. Aging, dangerous nuclear reactors that are too costly to make safe. .
3. “New nuclear” is a joke. The nuclear lobby will boast of so many “planned”, “proposed” reactors. But new ones actually being built? – just two and a half duds.
4 Discord and dissension in the nuclear camp. Nuclear countries cannot afford new reactors, so desperately compete to sell them to other countries.
Meanwhile nuclear companies battle it out to market their particular new gee-whiz nuclear reactor version.
5. Climate change affects nuclear reactors.
6. Nuclear weapons now out-dated. 21st Century conflict is all about smaller, targeted 
weapons, like the USA’s assassination drones. Pride and status are now the only motives for having nuclear weapons.
7. Decline in electricity use
8 Renewable energy, both centralised and small scale, is fast being developed, and widely popular (unlike nuclear).
9. Danger – whatever kind of nuclear facility – there is always the danger of accident or terrorism – they are a target for terrorists.
10 Public opinion. Worldwide – people just don’t like nuclear power.
NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES
The decline of the nuclear industry poses huge challenges – nuclear experts need not fear unemployment.
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL. If all nuclear reactors stopped today, and all nuclear weapons were “turned off”, the world would still be left with a massive unsolved problem of disposing of the wastes.
BURYING THE CORPSES of nuclear reactors – (they prefer that nice word “decommissioning”) – a huge part of the unsolved waste problem.
ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Renewable energy is taking over – it is supposed to be “clean and green”. And digital communications are also taking over the world.
But at present, both of these require “rare earths”
RARE EARTHS On the one hand, these play a part in the renewable energy future, for example in making wind turbines, and in electric car batteries. Rare earths are a group of 17 chemical elements ( yttrium and the 15 lanthanide elements (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium) Rare earth metals and alloys that contain them are used in many devices that people use every day such as: computer memory, DVD’s, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, car catalytic converters, magnets, fluorescent lighting and much more. http://geology.com/articles/rare-earth-elements/
On the other hand, – the downside of rare earths – in the mining and processing of these rare earth minerals, radioactive wastes are produced.
Rare Earths, Recycling and the Nuclear CHAIN – theme for April 15
FIRST – there is NO “Nuclear Fuel Cycle” – only a toxic Nuclear Fuel Chain 
The nuclear lobby is telling one of its finest whoppers – that there really is a “nuclear fuel cycle” – that toxic radioactive wastes can be turned into lucrative nuclear fuel – for a never ending glorious “cycle”
Not true. It is truly a Nuclear Fuel Chain – that the lobby hopes to put around Australians’ necks. The new geewhiz (not yet existing) Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors (LFTRs) and Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs), including the Power Reactor Innovative Small Module (PRISM) – all produce highly toxic wastes that have to be buried. Reprocessing is NOT a “cycle”
SECOND – Rare Earths involve highly radioactive wastes – and require a big switch in DESIGN – so that they can be recycled.
Environmentalists must wake up to this. There must be a paradigm shift from the thinking, ) – from “dig it up – use it – throw it away” – to DESIGN.
The modern technologies that we value – from wind turbines to mobile phones must be redesigned, so that their rare earths can be easily retrieved and re-used.
Otherwise the planet will be further plagued by radioactive wastes from rare earths.
Success of the anti nuclear, clean energy movement – theme for March 2015
The worldwide nuclear mafia now faces the rising economic success of 21st Century renewable energy technologies, alongside the plummeting economic failure of nuclear energy.
The corporate power system that dominates the world economy, and world politics still promotes nuclear power and nuclear weapons – but they know they are up against the unaffordable financial costs. Money is what matters to them.
But money is not the whole story. The nuclear lobby consists of relatively few individuals – middle aged (mainly white) men, in business suits, in love with their own careers and monetary gain.
They don’t know who they’re up against – people in their millions who oppose the nuclear industry- people who “don’t matter” – women, young people, poor people, indigenous people
These millions include the poorly educated, and the highly educated, people of all colours, languages and religions -but all having respect for their precious land and water, and for the future of the world’s children. They matter, and they will prevail.
The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction – theme for February 2015
The thought is so unpleasant, so confronting, that most of the time, we all avoid that thought.
That avoidance is a mistake. Now there’s an opportunity to learn the facts – not only on what a nuclear catastrophe, a nuclear war would be like, but also about what positive steps the people of world can take to prevent those global horrors, and remove those threats.
Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction – February 28-March 1, 2015 at The New York Academy of Medicine
A unique, two-day symposium at which an international panel of leading experts in disarmament, political science, existential risk, artificial intelligence, anthropology, medicine, nuclear weapons and other nuclear issues will be held at The New York Academy of Medicine on Feb 28- March 1, 2015. The public is welcome.
A project of The Helen Caldicott Foundation Venue: The New York Academy of Medicine. 1216 Fifth Ave @ 103rd St. NY, NY 10029
The symposium will be live streamed around the world and the Proceedings will be published in a book by the New Press
Remembering World War 1 – the movement for peace – theme for December 2014
This year and for the next three years, the world will remember World War 1. There will be significant commemorations in many countries, honouring those who died. There will also be the opportunity for militarism to flourish, and people can readily become confused between respect for those young lives, ended so tragically, and the militaristic ideals of ‘glory’ associated with war. Those who invest in weapons will be rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the profits from the next war.
But many, many, people will respect and make use of this commemorative period to advance the world movements for peace, and against war. These movements have a long and honourable history, going back well before world war one.
Very often, it has been organisations of women, who have most strongly resisted and opposed war. “Some of the many groups that protested against the war, as well as the traditional peace churches, were the Woman’s Peace Party (which was organized in 1915 and led by noted reformer Jane Addams), the International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace (ICWPP) (also organized in 1915),[19] the American Union Against Militarism, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and the American Friends Service Committee.[20] Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, was another fierce advocate of pacifism, the only person to vote no to America’s entrance into both WorldWars.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_movement
Today, the peace movement is active, across the world, with organisations too many to name here. We know that we are up against those who profit from war – the companies that make weapons, especially nuclear weapons. We are up against the nuclear power industry, with its pretense that it has nothing to do with nuclear weapons. We are up against the militarists in every country – who will be glorifying World War 1. We are up against the strange so-called ‘religious’ ideas, of those who would kill unbelievers.
Today’s world threats, especially the chaotic conditions resulting from climate change, are being met by a world reasonable movement for co-operative action to deal with global problems, and by the growing understanding of the need for conflict resolution methods, and diplomacy, to deal with our differences
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