Nuclear

RadTour gets closer..27 June – 8 July 2015

Run by Friends of the Earth, this year’s Tour will take place from Saturday June 27 to Wednesday July 8, 2015.  Contact Robyn if you would like to get involved with their Adelaide welcome around July 8th: robyn.wood@foe.org.au.  See below for ticket links.

Radtour photo

Participants get to experience consensus decision making, desert camping and vegetarian cooking in affinity groups while travelling to some of the most beautiful and ecologically significant environments in Australia. If you’re interested in learning about the industry or anti-nuclear campaigning, the “Rad Tour” is an essential start or refresher.

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FoE Submission to the Terms of Reference of the Nuclear Energy Cycle Royal Commission

The SA government is holding a Royal Commission into the nuclear fuel cycle.

On the cards is examining uranium enrichment, nuclear power and a nuclear power dump.

Our Premier Jay Weatherill says he used to be anti-nuclear but now he has an open mind as he is concerned about climate change and our state’s economy.

Friends of the Earth Adelaide joined many groups and individuals in making a submission to the Terms of Reference of the Royal Commission – please see the link.

The Conservation Council of SA is hosting community members who wish to work on the Royal Commission over the next year on Tuesdays in their new HQ at 111 Franklin St Adelaide – contact Robyn for more information robyn.wood@foe.org.au

Students of Sustainability Conference July 8-12 Flinders University

The national Students of Sustainability conference is on again and this time in Adelaide at Flinders University 8-12 July!  Friends of the Earth just might have a surprise….

students of sustainability pic

 

Students of Sustainability (SoS) is the largest and longest running environmental & social justice conference in Australia and this year the conference will be in South Australia at Flinders University on Kaurna Country.

SoS is organised by students from the Australian Student Environment Network (ASEN) and brings together environmentalists, social justice advocates and activists from all over the country to share ideas and action.

The five day conference will explore how we can act on environment and social justice issues and find solutions for change. A variety of workshops, forums, plenaries, excursions and plenty of entertainment will fill the program, plus all of your meals and on-campus camping are covered in the ticket price.

The broad spectrum of experiences, diverse people and activities involved, makes SoS a crucible for sharing ideas, visions, designs and goals on how to make positive change. If this sounds like your kind of scene, come and join academics, entrepreneurs, Aboriginal elders & delegates, change-makers, campaigners and students who are working together for people and planet.

REGISTER NOW at www.studentsofsustainability.org and take advantage of early bird ticket offers.

If you have any questions you can also ask them in the Facebook event page.

See you there! Robyn Wood robyn.wood@foe.org.au

Report back from the nuclear free picnic and March in March Rally

A great time was had by all on the banks of the Torrens at Bonython Park for our sushi picnic and poetry slam to honour the fourth anniversary since the ongoing Fukushima disaster started in Japan.   Friends of the Earth’s Dr Philip White spoke about Fukushima and his experience with the nuclear industry in Japan.

Here’s a picnic pic of the Conservation Councils excellent banner SA: RENEWABLE NOT RADIOACTIVE

picnic banner march 2015

and a few from the March in March rally and parade which Friends’ of the Earth Adelaide helped organise.

waste barrels on bike trailer

Vic Square Renewables Not Radioactive banner Marcy 2015

barrel and rad suits parliamnt house

What is the carbon footprint of renewable electricity?

As part of an analysis of the carbon footprint of nuclear power, Keith Barnham notes the footprint of renewables. The british Climate change commission (CCC) has recommended any new power stations should not exceeed 50 gCO2/kWh.

When comparing the carbon footprints of electricity-generating technologies, we need to take into account carbon dioxide emitted in all stages in the life of the generator and its fuel. Such a study is called a life cycle analysis (LCA).

There are other gases such as methane that are more dangerous greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide. The most reliable LCAs take all greenhouse gases into account and present equivalent carbon dioxide emissions.

In a recent paper in Energy Policy, Daniel Nugent and Benjamin Sovacool critically reviewed the published LCAs of renewable electricity generators. All the renewable technologies came in below the 50 gCO2/kWh limit.

The lowest was large-scale hydropower with a carbon footprint one fifth of the CCC limit (10 gCO2/kWh). A close second was biogas electricity from anaerobic digestion (11 gCO2/kWh). The mean figure for wind energy is 34 gCO2/kWh, and solar PV comes in a shade under the 50g limit, at 49.9 gCO2/kWh. Bear in mind that rapidly evolving PV technology means that this last figure is contantly falling.

It’s a lot more difficult to do the calculation for nuclear power, because of the concentration of uranium affects the energy to enrich; the costs of decommissioning (dismantling and waste disposal) are poorly known. Barnham’s article goes into more detail about the wide range of estimates and their assumptions.