G20 swelters in heatwave, as host country Australia denies importance of climate change
Abbott’s nightmare: World leaders to swelter through G20 heatwave, Climate Spectator JOHN CONROY 14 NOV, As it seeks a growth-focus at the G20, the Abbott Government has been struck by another development which will only compound the attention on climate change generated by the US-China vows in Beijing this week. The Bureau of Meteorology is expecting a heatwave across Queensland, with temperatures to be more than 10 degrees above average in parts of the state – including Brisbane. In the state capital, the bureau is forecasting 35 and 39 degrees across the weekend, considerably higher than the city’s November average of 27.8.Nearby Ipswich – 40km southwest of Brisbane – will touch 41 on Saturday, according to the bureau, it’s hottest November day since 1968 and well above its 30.8 November average, while further inland towns are expecting to reach the mid-40s in the first half of next week.
There will be little overnight relief at the G20, too, with temperatures to remain around the mid-20s in the evenings and only bottom out at 20 degrees early Sunday.
“We’re going to have hot days and hot nights as well,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said, according to Fairfax Media……….
The heatwave comes as the world tracks for its hottest calendar year on record, having already experienced the hottest consecutive 12 months from October 2013 through to September this year.
Ahead of the G20, a group of health organisations – including the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the National Toxics Network – have called on climate change to be on the summit’s agenda, with the chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia pointing out the increased risk of heatwaves. ……..http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/11/14/science-environment/abbotts-nightmare-world-leaders-swelter-through-g20-heatwave?utm_source=exact
At G20 Australians hold beach protest, mocking their climate denialist Prime Minister Abbott
Australians Stick Their Heads In The Sand To Mock Prime Minister Abbott’s Climate Stance http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/13/australians-stick-heads-sand_n_6150606.html Reuters | By Sue-Lin Wong SYDNEY, Nov 13 (- More than 400 protesters stuck their heads in the sand on Australia’s Bondi Beach on Thursday, mocking the government’s reluctance to put climate change on the agenda of a G20 summit this weekend.
“Obama’s on board, Xi Jinping’s on board, everyone’s on board except one man,” activist Pat Norman, 28, bellowed into a megaphone on the Sydney beach.
“Tony Abbott!” the protesters shouted back.
Folks with babies, school children and working people in business suits dug holes on the beach and stuck their heads in them. The ostrich is said to stick its head in the sand in futile bid to avoid danger.Ornithologists say the African bird does no such thing but that didn’t spoil the cheeky protest.
“Wiggle ya bums if you feel like it,” Norman shouted over the megaphone.
A few athletic types did handstands with their heads in the sand.
“To be so far behind the rest of the developed world embarrasses progressive Australia,” he said.
In climate denialist Australia, President Obama throws down gauntlet to act on climate change
Obama’s University of Queensland speech: President throws down gauntlet to act on climate change news.com.au, 15 Nov 14 PRESIDENT Obama has used his speech at the University of Queensland to throw down the gauntlet on climate change, urging Australia’s young people to act before it’s too late.
“If China and the US can agree on this, the world can agree on this. We need to get this done,” the President told a crowd of around 2000 students and politicians at the University of Queensland on a sweltering day in the city.
“I have not had time to go to the Great Barrier Reef and I want to come back and I want my daughters to come back and I want their daughters and sons to come back and have that be there in 50 years,” he said.
The reference will no doubt put pressure on Prime Minister Tony Abbot, who has been heavily criticised this week by media for refusing to put climate change on the G20’s official agenda.
In his opening address this morning United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said climate change was the “defining issue of our times” and it’s “only natural” G20 leaders should make it a priority.
President Obama also used the speech to announce a $3 billion contribution to the Green Climate Fund which aims to help developing nations deal with climate change………http://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/obamas-university-of-queensland-speech-president-throws-down-gauntlet-to-act-on-climate-change/story-e6frflo9-1227124098927
Any credibility to the G20?
G20 faces crucial test of its credibility as Brisbane summit looms Ben Doherty theguardian.com, Monday 10 November 2014 Is the Group of 20 a genuine agent for change, or just another tired horse on the merry-go-round of international confabs? “…..The G20 was widely praised for stabilising the world economy during the global financial crisis of 2008, but the body has struggled for impact – critics say relevance – since those panicked days. The once-shiny crown of the “world’s premier economic body” has lost a little of its lustre.
In less critical times, its members have struggled to find consensus, descending instead into self-interested bickering, and reforms the G20 has promised have dwarfed those it has actually delivered.
This week’s Brisbane meeting of the Group of 20 will be a crucial test: can it be a genuine agent for change, or just another tired horse on the merry-go-round of international confabs?
The G20 is unquestionably powerful. Collectively, G20 economies account for two-thirds of the world’s people, 85% of its gross product, and three-quarters of global trade.
Unlike the too-exclusive G7, it includes the emerging giants of China, India and Indonesia, along with broader South American, African, and Asian representation. But with only 20 members, it’s nimble enough to make decisions, as it demonstrated during the global crisis……….
In the midst of the [2008 financial] crisis, the G20 co-ordinated the massive fiscal stimuli being pumped into the world’s economies to pull them back from the brink. It redesigned international regulatory rules (through the Basel III agreement), and reformed existing international public institutions such as the International Monetary Fund………
“….if leaders start to lose interest in it, it just becomes yet another meeting in an incredibly-crowded international program, it becomes international space junk, rolling around, sucking up resources and time,” he says. [says Mike Callaghan, program director of the Lowy Institute’s G20 Studies Centre,]………..http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/10/g20-faces-crucial-test-credibility-brisbane-summit-looms
TEPCO reassures world that radioactive contamination ,leaking from Fukushima to Pacific is no health problem
TEPCO Publishes Arrogant Press Release To The US On Fukushima,| Simply Info November 11th, 2014
As news came out about yet another finding of Fukushima radioactive contamination offshore of North America, TEPCO published a rather bizarre press release.
The corporate statement insists the contamination “Level raises no concern for human or animal health”. …..
TEPCO’s press release can be found here:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2014/1243939_5892.html
Archive copy to preserve original text
TEPCO _ TEPCO ISSUES STATEMENT ON WOODS HOLE REPORT FINDING VERY LOW LEVEL OF CESIUM 134 FROM FUKUSHIMA OFF CALIFORNIA COAST http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/?p=14080
Imagine a bright clean sustainable world!
Solarpunk: a new movement sees the future in a positive light BIANCA NOGRADY ABC Environment 10 NOV 2014 A new theme is emerging in science fiction literature and art: solarpunk. It imagines the future as bright, green and sustainable. “IMAGINE A SUSTAINABLE world, driven by clean and renewable energy. Now imagine large space sailboats driven by solar radiation, production of biofuels via nanotechnology, the advent of photosynthetic humans, and, as there is no perfect society, even terrorism against corrupt businesses and governments. Welcome to the bright green world of solarpunk.”
The past decade has seen a huge rise in post-apocalyptic and dystopian science fiction, particularly aimed at young adults, exploring a variety of unpleasant possible futures, ranging from planet-wide desolation and starvation, to a world in which the uber-rich live in space-borne luxury while the poor languish on a stricken Earth.
But a new theme may be emerging; one that reflects our desire for a more optimistic but also more realistic vision of humanity’s near-future; that acknowledges we have some enormous challenges and changes ahead, but allows us to believe we may yet meet those challenges and survive not only as a species but as a civilisation.
You may not have heard of solarpunk, and given that this sub-genre and cultural movement has so far largely been discussed only on social media sites such as Tumblr and Twitter, you wouldn’t be the only one………
solarpunk’s most important feature is its optimism, at a time when the prevailing winds are blowing due apocalypse.
“When you start talking to people about climate change, it’s very easy for them to hit on the immensity of it all and just freeze up and say maybe it doesn’t mean anything, why should I care if there’s nothing I can do, what does this mean etc,” says Flynn.
“I think there’s a lot that people can do to reframe thinking about how we talk about it and react towards it, and I think art has a role to play in that.”
As billions of people in the developing world begin the rise out of poverty, they are looking for a vision of the ‘good life’, he says, and unfortunately, at the moment, that vision tends to involve fast food, large cars, big houses, and conspicuous consumption.
“We need to have more models of what a scalable sustainable vision of a life lived with human dignity will be.”
Iran nuclear talks may go on beyond November 24
Iran nuclear mediators hint at extended talks, Aljazeera, 11 Nov 14 Despite no breakthrough in Muscat, Western powers and Iran consider continuation of dialogue after November 24 deadline.
The one-day meeting on Tuesday came after lengthy discussions between John Kerry, US secretary of state, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, broke off in Muscat late on Monday with no signs of progress………http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/11/iran-nuclear-mediators-hint-at-extended-talks-201411111324419151.html
Alternative summit C20 calls for changes to G20 Agenda, and Climate Change as a standalone item
C20 calls on G20 to act on inequality, tax avoidance and climate change ABC News By AM business editor Peter Ryan Mon 10 Nov 2014, The C20 (Civil Society 20) is calling on G20 leaders to take action this weekend to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in society.
C20 chair Tim Costello said the group was looking for an outcome on Sunday that clearly demonstrates G20 leaders’ commitment to fairness by taking concrete, measurable action to reduce inequality and address climate change.
“It will be a sad legacy of the Australian presidency if we go backwards in the fight against poverty by failing to tackle growing inequality,” Mr Costello said.
“The G20’s Brisbane Action Plan must build on the formal commitment made in St Petersburg last year for inclusive growth to be a central focus of G20 decision making.
“Otherwise meeting the 2 per cent growth target will be a hollow achievement and leaders will be judged as indifferent to those most in need.”………
The C20 also argues that climate change is a critical economic issue confronting the G20 and must be discussed as a standalone item on the G20 agenda.
Mr Costello condemned the decision by the Australian presidency to ignore the impact of climate change on the global economy as a retrograde and damaging step.
“This G20 will ultimately be judged by the fairness test,” he said.
“Whether that’s fairness to future generations by facing up to climate change; fairness to the bottom 20 per cent of poorest households; fairness to 75 million young people unemployed worldwide; or fairness to taxpayers by declaring tax havens immoral.”
The Australian C20 Steering Committee comprises representatives of international and domestic civil society organisations including World Vision Australia, ACOSS, WWF, Oxfam, Transparency International, the National Council of Churches, and the National Employment Services Association. A number of individuals are also involved in the C20.
The C20 has focused its engagement with the G20 around the four key areas of:
- Inclusive Growth and Employment;
- Infrastructure;
- Climate and Resource Sustainability; and
- Governance (including tax and financial transparency).http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-10/c20-calls-on-g20-to-act-on-inequality-tax-avoidance-and-climate/5879784
Pressure on Iran nuclear talks as deadlin eapproaches
Germany: Nuclear talks with Iran nearing ‘make-or-break’ moment for deal WP, Brian Murphy November 11 The West is facing a “make-or-break moment” to reach a deal with Iran over its nuclear program, Germany’s foreign minister said Tuesday after high-level negotiations again failed to reach a breakthrough.
The statement by Germany — part of a six-nation group in talks with Iran — underscores the growing pressures to achieve at least a general accord before a self-imposed Nov. 24 deadline.
Talks resumed Tuesday in Oman’s capital, Muscat, with various envoys after meetings that included Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif………http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/2014/11/11/39c1aaa4-6998-11e4-9fb4-a622dae742a2_story.html
Iran has stopped controversial uranium enrichment process
U.S. says Iran has ceased controversial nuclear practice WASHINGTON Mon Nov 10, 2014 (Reuters) – Iran has stopped a controversial practice that could allow it to enrich uranium faster, the United States said on Monday, ceasing an activity one expert saw as violating an interim nuclear deal.
The development was disclosed as Tehran and Washington hold talks on an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program
and dispel concerns, that Iran denies, that it is trying to build a nuclear weapon………http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/10/us-iran-nuclear-usa-idUSKCN0IU2A820141110
US-NATO intervention in Ukraine could start World War 3
World War 3: Russian Nuclear War Possible If U.S. And NATO Intervene In Ukraine, Claims Noam Chomsky INQUSITR 8 Nov 14 World War 3 has been feared for most of 2014 ever since the Ukraine crisis started, but most believe the worst outcome is a new Cold War. But Noam Chomsky believes that nuclear war is a real possibility if the United States and NATO intervene against Russia.
Noam Chomsky questions whether NATO needs to exist, claiming that the United States has used the European organization to assert influence on the rest of the world.
“The official justification for NATO was that its purpose was to defend Western Europe from Russian hordes who might attack Western Europe,” says Chomsky. “Its mission changed. The official mission of NATO became to control the international, the global energy system, pipelines. That means, to control the world.”
The Ukraine crisis is assumed to be potential trigger point for World War 3. Russian tanks and troops were allegedly sighted invading eastern Ukraine, although these reports remain unconfirmed. Chomsky believes the situation is tense enough that nuclear war could happen quickly.
“There have been many cases, not that serious, but pretty close, where human intervention with a few-minutes choice has prevented a nuclear war. You can’t guarantee that’s going to continue,” Chomsky claims according to Reuters. “It may not be a high probability each time, but when you play a game like that, with low probability risks of disaster over and over again, you’re going to lose. And now, especially in the crisis over Ukraine, and so-called missile-defense systems near the borders of Russia, it’s a threatening situation.”……….http://www.inquisitr.com/1595955/world-war-3-russian-nuclear-war-u-s-nato-ukraine-noam-chomsky/#ddwBVCFzwYZyDDwf.99
Weaker radiation standards, Price Anderson Act – recipes for nuclear disaster
Bowling for Nuclear Meltdowns (and Throwing Gas on the Fire), Common Dreams, 31 Oct 14 by John LaForge Weakening radiation standards; a cap on accident liability; reactor propaganda vs improvements; old units running past expiration dates; revving the engines beyond design specs …. You’d think we were itching for a meltdown.
The Environmental Protection Agency has recommended increased radiation exposure limits following major releases. It would save the industry a bundle to permit large human exposures then, rather than shut down rickety reactors now.
The EPA proposal is a knock-off prompted by Fukushima, because after the triple meltdown started three years ago, Japan increased — by 20 times — the allowable radiation exposures deemed tolerable for humans. Prior to the meltdowns of March 2011, Japan allowed only 1 milliSievert of radiation per year in an individual’s personal space. Now, the limit is 20 milliSieverts per year. This is not safe, it’s just allowable, or, rather, affordable, since the cost of decontaminating 1,000 square miles of Japan to the stricter standard could bust the bank.
The Price Anderson Act provides US reactor owners with a liability cap and a tax-payer bailout in the event of serious accidents or attacks. The law relieves utilities of hundreds of billions in financial risk posed by our ongoing meltdown roulette game. The owners won’t be bankrupted by the next loss-of-coolant disaster, but the US might.
Fukushima has spewed more long-lived radioactive chemicals to the air, the soil and the ocean than any catastrophe in history. But the chant heard round the world is: “The dose is low, there’s no immediate danger.” Promoters of nuclear power repeat this mantra at every opportunity, hoping to dodge Germany’s answer to Fukushima — a permanent reactor phase-out — and it has nearly drowned out all warnings of radiation’s health and environmental effects.
Have you heard of PSR’s March 2011 “Health risks of the releases of radioactivity from the Fukushima reactors: Are they a concern for residents of the US?”; or IPPNW’s June 2014 “Critical Analysis of the UNSCEAR Report”; or the Nov. 2012 “Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health within the context of the nuclear accident at Fukushima”; or Greenpeace’s two major reports, “Lessons from Fukushima,” and “Fukushima Fallout”? No, the feds would rather you read the UN Scientific Committee’s exec. summary which claims Fukushima’s effects are “unlikely to be observable.” This conclusion was made before any research was done.
The chances of radiation disasters will increase further if the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows US reactors to run for 80 years. This is what Duke Power, Dominion Power and Exelon suggest for seven of their 40-year-old rattle traps now operating in Pennsylvania, Virginia and South Carolina………http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/10/31/bowling-nuclear-meltdowns-and-throwing-gas-fire
World leaders focus on economic growth, while destruction of ecosystems is rampant
Marton-Lefèvre is in Sydney for the World Parks Congress, a once-in-a-decade international conservation gathering that starts this week.
The week-long congress will feature an update on global progress in meeting the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Signed in 1992 by 193 nations, a key target is to protect at least 17% of the world’s terrestrial areas and 10% of marine areas by 2020.
World governments failing Earth’s ecosystems, says top conservationist, Oliver Milman, The Guardian, 10 Nov 14, Julia Marton-Lefèvre, director general of the IUCN, says political leaders have not properly embraced conservation Governments are lagging behind on international commitments to safeguard the planet’s ecosystems, with politicians failing to grasp that economic growth depends upon environmental protection, the head of the world’s leading conservation organisation has warned. Continue reading
Depleted Ecosystems
Scandal-Ridden Japan Descends Into Pit Of Moral Degeneracy And Radioactive Hell, Activist Post, Richard Wilcox, PhD, 8 Nov 14 “……..Our planetary ecosystems are being destroyed by the modern capitalist system and by participant countries, companies and consumers. Satellite photos from space show the destructive effects of fishing by trawlers that are scrapping the bottom of the oceans, while on land mindless Japanese and Chinese consumerism promotes animal poaching and deforestation in Congo, one of the last great rainforest ecosystems on Earth (53; 54).
Noam Chomsky fears that NATO intervention force may spark nuclear war
Chomsky to RT: US and its NATO intervention force may spark nuclear war November 07, 2014 How dangerous is the current confrontation between Russia and the West? Noam Chomsky believes that NATO expansion and US quest for hegemony has put the world in a situation so unstable where any accidental interaction could result in a nuclear war.
‘New NATO aims to control the world’
The “new NATO” that emerged after the Soviet Union collapsed is basically a US-run intervention force, with a completely different mission as compared to the original, Chomsky tells RT’s Sophie&Co.“In fact, one might ask why NATO even continued to exist,” he said. “The official justification for NATO was that its purpose was to defend Western Europe from Russian hordes who might attack Western Europe.”……..http://rt.com/news/203055-us-russia-war-chomsky/
1 This Month
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/2352741955560
of the week–London Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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