In brief: this week's nuclear news

By Christina MacPherson

AUSTRALIA

Uranium sales to India. P.M. Tony Abbott returns in glory from signing up with Indian P.M. Mori the deal to sell uranium to India.

To Russia. Well Tony Abbott was happy to cut exports of agricultural produce to Russia, as part of Australia’s condemnation of Putin. But he didn’t want to cut uranium exports. However, under pressure in Parliament from The Greens, that little piece of hypocrisy became apparent, and Abbott has reluctantly announced cutting of uranium exports to Russia. (Long may that last – just another step in the collapse of that toxic industry)

Renewable Energy Target (RET) . Abbott faces a difficult time in his goal of destroying Australia’s renewable energy industry. Even quite a few Liberals (the wimps) are noticing that the RET is not costing electricity consumers more. And of course, the electricity industries’ “death spiral” continues: – householders notice that it will be cheaper to use the free energy from the sun, and, as they switch to rooftop solar, the electricity utilities are forced to raise their prices. That in turn, causes more people to go for “off grid” electricity, and so the companies must again raise prices….

I am often being accused of being paid by industry to run websites etc. Not so – but why not tell you about a really nifty provider that will give you a good deal using green energy?

For electricity – I’m switching to green energy Powershop http://www.powershop.com.au/toolkit/ This electricity provider is available in Victoria, but probably not yet in other states. https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/renewable-energy/switch/victorians-sw...

INTERNATIONAL

Japan. the Nuclear Regulatory Agency is standing firm on the need to close the Tsuruga nuclear reactor that is sited above an active earthquake fault. They are also pushing to permanently close a quarter of Japan’s 48 ageing nuclear reactors. Meanwhile, Japan is reluctant to sign up a nuclear technology deal with India,as there is no certainty that India will not use this to make weapons. Another pesky woman speaking up when she shouldn’t? Akie Abe, wife of P.M, has once again politely voiced her opposition to nuclear power.

Russia. In the heat of the Ukraine conflict, one Russian general is pushing for Russia to adopt a pre-emptive nuclear strike policy. (America already has that policy)

Ukraine. Well, at the moment there’s a pause in conflict between separatists and Ukraine government. It is on the cards that peace will break out. For one thing, war is just too damn dangerous: Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors, including Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Imagine the radioactive pollution of Europe that would result if rockets or bombs happened to hit Ukraine’s nukes!

Planet Earth. I have got tired of concentrating on the nuclear issue. It’s just one symptom, the worst though, of the human specie’s trashing of the planet. Geologists are saying that we are in a new Epoch – the Anthropocene Age. We have indeed changed the planet, and we’d better do something about it, before the human species joins the mass of other extinctions that it has caused.