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10 reasons for India to reject nuclear power

India has no independent authority that can evolve safety standards and regulate reactors for safety.

There are at least 10 reasons to say ‘no’ to nuclear energy, The Weekend Leader, India,   08 Oct 2011 As the fate of Koodunkulam Nuclear Power Project hangs in balance, Sam Rajappa lists out 10 reasons given by scientists who are opposed to India opting for nuclear energy.

1. Nuclear power involves radiation exposure at all stages of its fuel cycle: from uranium mining and fuel fabrication to reactor operation and maintenance; to spent-fuel handling, storage and re-processing.

2. Reactors leave a toxic trail of high-level radioactive wastes which remain hazardous for thousands of years. Continue reading →

October 7, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear power is unaffordable, when you factor in the true costs

 not only are we leaving our kids and grandkids with a monumental environmental hazard in the form of never-before-seen-on-Earth nuclear waste, we’re also going to stick them with the bill for disposing of it all properly. …..

when you factor in the true costs of nuclear, which include the mining and refining of uranium ore, along with the multi-billions in unbudgeted costs related to the long-term storage of radioactive materials (not to mention transportation costs for those materials to the facility, if it ever gets built), it’s clear that wind is a better deal, as it doesn’t produce any hazardous waste materials. 

How Much Does that Cost? Part I: Nuclear Energy, The Sudbury Star, Ontario,  By Steve May, 2 Oct 11 “……..in my digging, I became increasingly alarmed with what I was finding out about the nuclear industry in general, and specifically with the alarming series of cover-ups and misinformation which the Japanese nuclear industry was providing to their government, to the Japanese people, and by extension, to the rest of the world. Continue reading →

October 6, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Last parade for dwindling number of Wales’ nuclear veterans

Nuclear test veterans march in Risca, South Wales Argus  3rd October 2011 A PARADE to honour nuclear test veterans took place for the final time in Risca on Sunday.The march by members of the Welsh branch of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association has been staged in Risca since 1993.

But dwindling numbers of veterans meant this year would be the last parade. Islwyn MP Chris Evans joined people from Risca and across the UK for the parade to remember the thousands of servicemen who were involved in the weapons testing programme in the 1950s and 1960s.

Many suffered serious health problems as a result of the programme. Mr Evans said: “It was an honour to join the parade. We owe a debt of gratitude to our veterans and this ceremony honours the men who have subsequently died because of their involvement in nuclear testing.

“I feel very strongly that these veterans deserve justice and I have tabled several parliamentary questions on this issue – it is important that we never forget their cause.”http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/gwentnews/9284815.Nuclear_test_veterans_march_in_Risca/

October 4, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

2,000 organisations meet in Geneva for nuclear weapons abolition

 Wright urged civil society groups to challenge nuclear weapons on the basis of international humanitarian law, to divest from companies involved in the production of nuclear armaments, and to challenge the nuclear-weapon states directly because they have legal obligations to pursue nuclear disarmament, but are modernizing their arsenals instead……

after years of little progress, support for abolishing nuclear weapons is growing. 

Imagining a world without nuclear weapons, Ekklesia By Jonathan Frerichs, 3 Oct 2011 Ask anyone if they can imagine a world without nuclear weapons, and as polls indicate, most will say they can. This is true even in countries that possess nuclear weapons according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons or ICAN, a new civil society initiative dedicated to the hope of a nuclear free world.

However, governments that possess nuclear weapons send a different signal. Their policies and expenditures say that “well…perhaps someday…but certainly not in our lifetimes”.

Still a coalition of some 2,000 organizations that want to abolish nuclear weapons met in Geneva on 16 September 2011. The programme included a panel of civil society representatives hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) to examine prospects for nuclear disarmament. Continue reading →

October 4, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Vermont leading the way in 21st Century energy policy

COMMISSIONER’S PRESENTATION: Elizabeth Miller, commissioner of the Department of Public Service, speaks about the energy plan at 9:20 a.m. Oct. 12 during the 10th Annual Vermont Renewable Energy Conference at the Sheraton Burlington Conference Center in South Burlington. 

Voice of the Free Press: Focus on renewable energy reflects Vermont values, Burlington Free Press, Oct. 2, 2011, The proposed goal is to meet 90 percent of Vermont’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2050. The plan calls for controlling the amount of energy we use through conservation and increased efficiency, as well as encouraging alternative power sources.

That Vermont represents the tiniest fraction of the global energy market offers both a challenge and an opportunity. Continue reading →

October 3, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Continuing impact of Fukushima radiation, on survivors, and on the unborn

Fukushima shocking truths: Historical radiation dump, cover-up, the unborn, , Human Rights Examiner September 29, 2011  Nuclear energy refugees and unwitting consumers face overwhelming reality of Fukushima catastrophe impacting survivors and the unborn

Continue reading on Examiner.com Fukushima shocking truths: Historical radiation dump, cover-up, the unborn – National Human Rights | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/fukushima-shocking-truths-historical-radiation-dump-cover-up-the-unborn?CID=examiner_alerts_article#ixzz1ZUsETDSp

September 30, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

San Onofre nuclear power plant – many believe it’s not safe

Many of the 200 or so people who attended Tuesday night’s meeting didn’t buy any of [the speeches assuring about nuclear plant safety]….
Skeptics challenge San Onofre nuclear-plant crisis planners, Sept. 28, 2011, By FRED SWEGLES / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Five-hour meeting about lessons learned from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear-plant emergency is occasionally interrupted by critics who don’t believe the speakers’ claims that a similar event is unlikely here and that local plans are adequate. Continue reading →

September 30, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

USA’s nuclear weapons program a bad investment


Expanding Nuclear Weapons Budget a Bad Investment, WORLD POLITICS REVIEW, BY LAICIE OLSON, KINGSTON REIF | 26 SEP 2011 There is broad bipartisan agreement that few national security issues are as critical as how to deal with America’s crippling debt. Getting America’s fiscal house in order will require difficult budgetary choices. This means that we need to make smart decisions about what is most needed to safeguard U.S. national security in the 21st century.

A close look at the Pentagon budget reveals numerous programs that are more suitable to defeating the Cold War-era Soviet Union than to addressing current security threats, such as weak and failing states, cyberattacks and nuclear terrorism. A particularly egregious example is the budget for nuclear weapons programs. … http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/10127/expanding-nuclear-weapons-budget-a-bad-investment

September 27, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Palisades nuclear power plant shut down again

Another shutdown at Palisades nuclear power plant, Canadian Business By AP  | September 26, 2011, COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The Palisades Nuclear Plant in southwestern Michigan has shut down five days after restarting from an earlier shutdown. Operators of the southwestern Michigan plant say the plant shut down automatically from full power about 3:10 p.m. Sunday because of an electrical breaker fault…..

Palisades is in Van Buren County’s Covert Township, about 55 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. It was shut down Sept. 16 because of a loss of water in a cooling system, then brought back on the grid last Tuesday.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspected the plant in August after a water pump component failed. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/47439–another-shutdown-at-palisades-nuclear-power-plant

September 26, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear “renaissance” looking now like a nuclear stillbirth

Nuclear sunset?, The Irish Times, 23 Sept 11, THE NUCLEAR “renaissance” has suffered a serious setback with the decision by Siemens, the giant German conglomerate, to pull out of building any more nuclear-powered electricity-generating plants. After being responsible for developing all 17 of Germany’s nuclear plants Siemens’ chief executive Peter Löscher said bluntly: “The chapter for us is closed”.

Instead, its energy division – which accounted for the lion’s share of the conglomerate’s € 4 billion profit last year – will concentrate on “greener” forms of renewable energy, such as wind power, in what Mr Löscher termed “the project of the century”. Continue reading →

September 24, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear power’s potential for devastating financial losses

Time for Ontario to get out of nuclear power business 23 Sept 11,  North Bay Nugget , Green Party,  The disaster at the Fukishima nuclear facility in Japan has served as a wakeup call to the entire world that nuclear-powered electrical generation is not only unsafe, but also has the potential to cause devastating financial losses. Continue reading →

September 24, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Germany maps the way for Europe’s renewable energy and smart grid

Germany Can Do Without Nuclear Power, In energy policy as elsewhere, we need more Europe, not less. WSJ, By GUIDO WESTERWELLE,  foreign minister of Germany. Civilian nuclear power has been the subject of highly charged debate in German politics and society for many years. The tragedy in Fukushima triggered a further profound reassessment in Germany of the risks of nuclear power. Ultimately, Fukushima accelerated our change of direction. Five months after the accident, Germany decided by law that nuclear energy will be phased out by 2022.

The broad, democratic consensus we have reached in Germany, founded on wide-ranging deliberations with engineers, planners and economists, is that this change of track on energy policy is possible—technically, conceptually and economically. Our intention now is to map out our long-term progress along that road, heading for energy provision that is clean, affordable and safe. Continue reading →

September 22, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Former PM Kan now free to reveal Fukushima facts

Kan reveals Tokyo nuclear evacuation plans ABC Radio 774, Tokyo correspondent  September 19, 2011  Japan’s former prime minister Naoto Kan has revealed he contemplated evacuating as many as 30 million people from Tokyo and surrounding areas during the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Continue reading →

September 19, 2011 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

Big conference on financing renewable energy

Leaders of Renewable Energy Sector Convene for Fourth Annual REFF-West Conference Event Features Google’s Rick Needham, Project Director of Green Business Operations & Strategy Finance, and Top Sources of Capital for Clean Energy Projects  Market Watch, SAN FRANCISCO, September 14, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –– The top financiers of renewable energy in the U.S. will once again be gathering at the fourth annual Renewable Energy Finance Forum (REFF)-West, on Sept. 26-27, 2011 at The Four Seasons in San Francisco. Continue reading →

September 16, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Northeastern coast of Japan gets strong earthquake

6.2 earthquake strikes off Japan coast, NZ Herald, 16 Sept 11, A strong earthquake registering magnitude 6.2 has struck off Japan’s northeastern coast, but there was no risk of a tsunami. There were no immediate report of injuries or damage from the temblor.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency says the quake was centered off the coast of Ibaraki, about (220 kilometers east of Tokyo. It had a depth of 10 kilometers.The agency says there is no danger of a tsunami from the quake…….http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10752075

September 16, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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