Friends of the Earth Adelaide

New Report shows Underground Coal Gasification too costly and too unreliable

roman October 20, 2017

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) recently published a report describing how coal-to-gasification technology for electricity-generation purposes remains commercially unviable.

The report — “Using Coal Gasification to Generate Electricity: A Multibillion-Dollar Failure” —concludes that two long-running marquee American Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC), projects, Duke Energy’s Edwardsport plant in Indiana and Southern Company’s Kemper plant in Mississippi, prove the case against such investments.

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Clean Futures, Old_Notes

Civil society rejects GMOs at Food and Agriculture Organization meeting

roman October 20, 2017

Civil society representatives firmly rejected genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as a means of addressing world food security at a recent Food and Agriculture Organization meeting in Malaysia. The event was funded by the pro-GM US, Canadian and Australian Governments.

Civil society representatives from the Global South rejected the premise of the event that improved access to agricultural biotechnologies are needed to help defeat hunger, malnutrition and poverty in the Asia-Pacific region.

The focus of the discussion was supposed to be on sustainable food systems for small farmers – not on increasing yields to generate more money from small pieces of land. However, the majority of the supposed ‘solutions’ presented at the meeting were GMOs – including many new GM techniques still at proof of concept stage that have not been subject to any kind of safety assessment.

SA Labor against Nuclear dump in SA

roman October 20, 2017

Motion / resolution passed unanimously by the Australian Labor Party SA Branch, State Convention 2017
13 October 2017
Motion 22. MUA
Federal Nuclear Waste Dump
SA Labor congratulates the Weatherill government for acknowledging the Citizens Jury outcome to reject the establishment of the nuclear dump, which reflected a majority of the state’s residents, some two thirds of Jury participants. The Weatherill Government is to be commended for acknowledging the community, social and environmental concerns.
Recommendation
SA Labor calls on the State Government to oppose any future proposal for a South Australian nuclear dump and storage site. lt is recognised that the Federal Government is indicating they will advocate for a nuclear waste dump in our state. The SA Labor Government and Party will publicly oppose any proposal of this nature, and take this position based on the findings, evidence and community concerns presented during the Citizens Jury.
Recommendation
SA Labor continues to acknowledge, respects and endorse the ALP National Platform on Nuclear Waste.

Contact your MP and see where they stand on this issue!

Adelaide FoE Notes, Nuclear

Electric vehicle charger station opened in Adelaide

robyn September 27, 2017

South Australia’s first “Tesla supercharger” points for electric vehicles opened on 27 October on Franklin St between The Joinery and the new Bus station – “the start of a state-wide charging network the company promised as part of the deal to win the State Government’s “world’s largest battery” tender”.

Tesla’s Elon Musk included 50 charging stations as part of the negotiations to build the battery.

The Indaily report continues here