Climate change action? Nuclear-free? 2013 is the critical year

Unless a new nuclear disaster occurs, the global nuclear lobby is set for a pretty successful 2013. Japan is to re-invigorate its nuclear industry, China is going ahead with a big nuclear plant, Fukushima is off the media radar, and the world is being subtly conned into loving low level radiation, and new gee-whiz nuclear reactors.

And yet – “If You Don’t Fight, You Lose” – so we antinukes press on, both against nuclear energy/nuclear weapons, and for real action on climate change. I, for one, want my grandchildren to know that I tried.

AUSTRALIA

Matters nuclear would seem to be taking a holiday for the holiday season. Except for Lucas Heights Opal nuclear reactor being shut down due to the fire yesterday (08/01/13) - there would be little to report.

Bank hoax Am I the only one who wasn’t very keen on Johathan Moylan’s hoax pretending to be a press release from ANZ bank – about Whitehaven Coal share price? Seems to me that falsifying bank information, however daring, is a criminal offence, and can only lower public opinion of the environmental movement.

Climate The Australian media marks the new year with its usual huge emphasis on sport and trivia. Except now, for the bushfires, but we don’t connect them to global warming, now, do we? Especially as three East coast Liberal governments don’t really believe in global warming.

On the nuclear front – Australia now gets a new burst of pro nuke propaganda, with these main themes:

Low level radiation is pitched as not harmful, (and nuclear solves global warming, too) - this headed by University of Adelaide’s pro nuclear front department “The Environment Institute” headed by Barry Brook and Ben Heard.
China is touted as soaring away with new nuclear power, (though its own Environment Minister is dubious about its safety) Japan‘s government is all out for nuclear power – they’ll need Australian uranium again.
New nuclear reactors touted. The Age Business section (8/01/13 )gives practically a full blown advertisement article on Thorium reactors – (no mention that they need plutonium fuel, too, and barely a mention , of their toxic wastes, their weapons proliferation danger, security hazards, – and not mentioned at all – their commercial non viability. Being small, they’re economic only if sold in mass quantities – which is highly unlikely)
INTERNATIONAL

Japan ‘s government planning not only to restart nuclear reactors, but to import spent nuclear fuel rods from Asian countries, and get a nuclear reprocessing industry going. Also hoping to get nuclear weapons. Many business and civic leaders on side with the government, but the public not happy. Fukushima news fades from the media, except for reassuring bland statements on how safe the people are , radiation no real problem.

China- the great hope of the global nuclear industry – to build a big nuclear power plant, and forge ahead with new nuclear technology and sales. A pity that Chinese cyberbugs are turning up in other countries’ computer system, and are now suspected in USA’s Los Angeles nuclear weapons laboratory. China’s nuclear industry must be just fine, because that we don’t hear of anti-nuclear dissidents in China/ (Oh, I forgot, because totalitarian China does not tolerate dissidents)

France – what a pickle! Their civil nuclear energy is so entwined with their nuclear weapons, and they can’t afford to make their aging nuclear reactors safe, and they can’t afford to shut them down, either.

India does nuclear deal with Russia (very lucrative for Russia), and determinedly represses protests. yet still, people are protesting in their thousands, against Kudankulam and Jaitapur nuclear plants.

UK’s Cumbria agonises over plan to host nuclear waste burial. UK govt agonises over Scotland not wanting to keep Trident nuclear weapons base, and agonisies even more over the financing problems for their new nuclear reactors – Chinese money to the rescue?

Iran - the usual back and forth of Israeli brinkmanship, and international efforts to negotiate with Iran.

USA agonising as usual over its nuclear wastes and paralysis of its “new nuclear” industry. Meanwhile a star-studded array of scientists prepares for the most informative symposium March 11-12 in New York - The Medical and Ecological Impacts of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident nuclearfreeplanet.org