Below is a letter to the Uranium Mining Processing and Nuclear Energy Review Secretariat, copied to this list for information... please feel free to use my words in your own letters if you wish, and please take a moment to sign the Global Petition to Mitigate Climate Change here:
I write with the future of the children of our great nation foremost in my mind, and as many polls would strongly suggest, on behalf of the majority of the people of Australia, who are against an expansion of the nuclear industry.
I believe there is no more important issue for the present and future generations as the need to commence making substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible.
* Nuclear power plants are expensive with long, capital-intensive construction times before they generate any energy at all.
* The question of nuclear waste disposal remains unresolved.
* Taxpayer funds invested into the nuclear fuel cycle expansion will threaten funding of lesser-cost, cleaner, more flexible and more quickly implementable renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.Thus going down the nuclear energy track will hinder, rather than facilitate the necessary speedy action required for adequate climate change mitigation and the urgent need to address a smooth transition away from an oil dependant society.
* Our energy tax dollars must be invested wisely for the long term well being of society. I strongly recommend viable and sustainable energy sources; solar, wind, tidal, wave, geothermal, these areas are where our energy tax dollars should be heading. The elements of nature can adequately provide Australians with their energy needs.
* Feeding power back into the grid from individual properties (and businesses) which run on the above "naturally abundant" types of energy will create never ending adequate energy supplies for all.
* Nuclear fuel is limited, and will run out.
* Investing into public transport systems will create a society that is not totally dependent on car ownership to remain mobile, with "peak oil" and high fuel prices at the bowser now, oil dependency is a growing global concern. Inadequate transportation systems and car dependency will cause a break down in society as we know it. It is up to our elected representatives to ensure the transition away from oil dependency is smooth.
Waging war on countries that have access to oil and the use of depleted uranium weapons in those wars is an obvious "spin off" to the nuclear cycle. The global nuclear arsinal and Austrtalia's part in the cycle of war for global dominance must be immediately halted.
Unfortunately, with scientific concerns about "peak oil", global oil dominance will not see a solution to societies transportation needs. Oil is running out, and nuclear war will never benefit any society. Australia's leaders should be doing just that, leading its citizens down a peaceful track, which is sustainable, and provide her citizens with a smooth transition from oil dependency. Continuing to be a part of the deadly nuclear cycle of war and nuclear waste is not only foolhardy, but pointless in the long term (except of course to those who profit in the short term from the industry).
It is nearly 30 years since the Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry, a much broader and longer-running Inquiry than the current Inquiry, found:
“The nuclear power industry is unintentionally contributing to an increased risk of nuclear war. This is the most serious hazard associated with the industry”; and
“Policy respecting Australian uranium exports, for the time being at least, should be based on a full recognition of the hazards, dangers and problems of and associated with the production of nuclear energy, and should therefore seek to limit or restrict expansion of that production.”
I note that in the brief Issues Paper released by the Inquiry the issue of recognising externalities is raised.All energy-producing technologies should pay the full pollution costs associated with their use.I therefore also urge the Inquiry to recommend the removal of all externalities tilting the economic playing field in favour of polluting activities associated with energy supply.
For the above reasons I am opposed to any Australian involvement in the nuclear fuel cycle, including current uranium mining and export, and I urge the Inquiry to recommend the cessation of such activities to the Commonwealth Government.
NEW YORK, Jul 18 (OneWorld) - Leaders of
the world's industrial nations have drawn fire from international civil
society groups after they embraced an energy plan that favors continued
reliance on oil and other fossil fuels with no hint of any solid steps
to deal with the impending threat of climate change.
Monday, at a summit held in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Group of
Eight (G-8) industrialized countries endorsed a joint statement on
"global energy security," indicating their readiness to spend billions
of dollars on further exploration of oil and nuclear energy
infrastructure, despite strong opposition from environmental activists.
The summit was attended by all heads of state from the G-8
countries, which include the United States, Britain, France, Italy,
Germany, Japan, Australia, and Russia. Leaders from five fast growing
industrial countries--China, Brazil, India, South Africa, and
Mexico--also took part in the meeting but as observers.
The G-8 statement on "energy security" identifies nuclear energy
as one way to address global climate change, but environmental
activists contend that this cannot be considered a favorable way to
reduce carbon emissions. They reason that nuclear reactors are
dangerous, extremely expensive, take many years to build, and require
massive government subsidies.
Critics say they would like to see the proposed amount of funding
spent on drastic cuts in carbon emissions through energy efficiency
measures, development of renewable energy sources, and restoration of
damaged wetland and forest ecosystems.
The G-8 countries represent just 15 percent of the world's
population, yet they produce 45 percent of all human emissions of
carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas responsible for global
warming.
"Poor, indigenous, and environmentally vulnerable communities
should not bear the brunt of the global climate change that the rich
countries are creating," says Ethan Green of the Rising Tide North
America, a group that organized a series of protests in the United
States on the issue of climate change last Sunday.
Equally critical of the G-8 plan on energy security, Mike Hudema
of the U.S.-based advocacy group Global Exchange notes that the world's
top 20 oil companies are based in the G-8 countries, which according to
him, enjoy "open door" policies with their governments.
"It's no surprise that these companies are the biggest polluters,"
says Hudema. "The G-8 already gives over a hundred billion dollars in
subsidies to nuclear developers, yet refuses to subsidize safer
sustainable alternatives--like wind, water, and solar power."
To him, the G-8 plan "makes no ecological sense."
Scientists who work with the G-8 hold quite similar views. Last
Friday, they issued a joint statement urging the Group to heed its own
recommendations prepared at the previous summit held in Gleneagles,
Scotland, and pursue sustainable energy growth, in response to the
increasing threat of the climate change.
Shortly before the start of the three-day summit, a coalition of
youth groups, representing more than 20 countries from around the
world, appealed to the G-8 leaders to rethink their position on energy
security.
Their statement responded to a leaked G-8 document suggesting the
Group invest an estimated $17 trillion in building infrastructure for
nonrenewable energy sources over the coming decades.
Reflecting on the consequences of the proposed G-8 investment in
nonrenewable energy resources, the youth coalition said it would "lock
the world into a massive increase in greenhouse gas emissions that can
only lead to dangerous and irreversible global climate change."
Currently, nearly 80 percent of the world's energy comes from oil,
coal, or natural gas--fossil fuels that contribute to the greenhouse
gas emissions that precipitate climate change--according to the
Worldwatch Institute, a U.S.-based independent think tank.
The Institute's researchers note that in the past two years there
has been no let-up in demand for fossil fuels despite continued
increase in energy prices.
Last week, members of the youth coalition and other groups
organized demonstrations in Russia, where the summit was to be held, as
well as in other G-8 countries including the United States, Britain,
and Germany. In recent days, anti-G-8 protests have also taken place in
Venezuela, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.
Activists claim that during the demonstrations in St. Petersburg
more than 200 activists were arrested and many who came from outside
Russia faced intimidation and harassment at the hands of local police.
Some protesters charged that police had confiscated their passports in
an attempt to discourage them from taking part in the rallies.
URGENT! - Actions are now being organized in solidarity with
activists in St. Petersburg, Russia who have been arrested, assaulted
and repressed by the Russian police state. As the summit opened,
demonstrations in the city were either outlawed, stopped by the police,
or broken up by force. More than 200 people had already been imprisoned
before the G8 Summit, some accused of "terrorism," to prevent them
taking part in possible demonstrations.Yesterday (Sunday July 16)
around 50 people were arrested. More than 30 people were arrested at
the blockade of a hotel in St. Petersburg used by participants in the
G8 Summit. Police attacked and arrested journalists before turning on
the protesters. 12 activists were also arrested during a weekly
anti-war picket, and 6 Belorussian activists were arrested and
physically abused by police for organising a press conference. Protest
against this police violence and repression! Organize solidarity
demonstrations at the nearest Russian Embassy or Consulate!
International Solidarity demonstrations have been called this week in
London, UK; Strasbourg, France; and Berlin, Germany.( For more information:
UK Indymedia
and
int.ru.indymedia.org)
Forward widely!
CHRONICLE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS AGAINST THE 2006 G8 SUMMIT
=====
Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Anti-G8 Critical Mass bicycle
demonstration that occupied a few of the busiest 'highways' in town and
ended at the building of Shell Research to show solidarity with
activists in Rossport (Ireland) resisting a pipeline-project from
Shell. In the morning a small action was also held at the Russian
Embassy in The Hague. (
http://int.ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/89/index.php and Pictures:
http://indymedia.nl/nl/2006/07/37709.shtml )
Asheville, USA - Climate Justice Day! Bicycle workshops and skillshares, followed by Critical Mass bike ride.
Auckland, New Zealand - Climate Justice Day! 5 simultaneous banner
drops over bridges, with slogans like "Stop Climate Change Now" and
"International Climate Justice Day," followed by a Critical Mass bike
ride. (
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060716115236282 )
Brisbane, Australia - Climate Justice Day! "Reclaim the Streets"
party with banners including "Don't Run Away From Climate Change." The
streets were seized for a couple of hours as people danced along with a
mobile sound system, visiting the offices of companies responsible for
exporting coal, building road tunnels & dams. Organized by Rising
Tide Australia. ( Pictures: http://risingtide.org.au/node/125
)
Davis, California - Protest against Monsanto in solidarity with
anti-G8 global days of action, in front of the USDA building in Davis.
Rally against SB 1056, the biotech-sponsored bill that prevents local
communities from their Constitutional right to vote on whether or not
their town, city or county will allow Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs) and Genetically Engineered (GE) seed crops to be grown in their
voting district. ( http://rtc.revolt.org/node/291 )
Gao, Mali, Africa - The fifth edition of the People's Forum -- a
popular convergence to educate, exchange, communicate, inform, plan
citizens' actions and elaborate alternatives to neoliberal
globalization -- started on July 15 as a counterweight to the G8 summit
in St Petersburg, Russia. Several hundred people attended this
three-day gathering to raise awareness about the problems faced by poor
people in Western Africa, including neo-colonial plunder of the natural
and energy resources of the South. (
http://int.ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/106/index.php )
Hamburg, Germany - Many groups called for a Reclaim The Streets Day
under the slogan: "We are not going to demand anything. We are not
going to ask for anything. We are going to take. We are going to
occupy." ( http://reclaimthestreets-hh.tk )
Lawrence, Kansas, USA - Carnival against Capital in solidarity with
the anti-G8 protests in St. Petersburg, Russia and around the
world.Featuring live music including Erik Petersen from the punk/folk
group Mischief Brew, and local hip-hop and folk act Joe Carr, plus
food, face painting, and other activities. ( http://rtc.revolt.org/node/282 )
London, England - Climate Justice Day! "G ATE MY PLANET" protest
party outside the Embassy of the country most responsible for setting a
policy direction that can only lead to planetary catastrophe: the
United States. Organized by the Campaign Against Climate Change. ( http://www.campaigncc.org )
London, England - In solidarity with Climate Justice Day, banner
unfurled featuring the digits 'C' 'O' and '2' and leaflets distributed
outside the office of Tulchan Communications, a public relations firm
that counts Drax Group plc, which owns and runs the UK's dirtiest
coal-fired power plant plant, amongst its clients. Organized by London
Rising Tide. (
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060715111242974&query=drax )
Madrid, Spain - Actvists from the Global Action Madrid collective
symbolically hanged straw-puppets representing the G8 leaders,
denouncing the criminal policies and extreme impoverishment of indebted
countries carried out by the world's eight most powerful countries. (
http://int.ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/126/index.php )
Maine, USA - Climate Justice Day! Truckload of construction and
demolition debris dumbed in Governor Baldacci's driveway, protesting
and bringing attention to his continual support of the importation,
dumping, and burning of toxic construction and demolition debris behind
claims of supporting alternative and renewable energy. (
http://maineindymedia.org/newswire/display/4102/index.php)
Manchester, England - Bicycle carnival in solidarity with Climate
Justice Day and anti-G8 protesters in Russia. The cycling protest in
Manchester was a celebration of the bicycle as a mode of transport that
doesn't pollute or cause climate change. Cyclists took to the road
cheering, blowing whistles and playing musical instruments as they
rode. Organized by Manchester Camp for Climate Action. ( call to
action: http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/?q=node/1466 AND pictures: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/07/345162.html )
Manila, Phillipines - Anarchist Festival organized in response
against the G8 Summit (solidarity), in celebration of the 70th
anniversary of the Spanish Revolution, and resistance to the Phillipine
President's annual "State of the Nation Address." ( http://afesta.blogsome.com )
St. Petersburg, Russia - Participants in the Russian Social Forum,
which was held in St.Petersburg on July 13-15, were not allowed to have
a march, although they requested permission from City Hall weeks
before. Police blocked them at the Kirov stadium, where the Social
Forum was held, and prevented from taking to the streets of the city.
About 150 activists held a rally behind closed gates, facing lines of
riot police, who outnumbered the activists. [
video | report
| photos: 1
| 2]
Straslund, Germany - (Thursday 13 July, 2006) Around 1,500 people
from the peace, counter-globalisation and anti-fascist movements in
Germany against US President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's
pre-G8 meeting in Stralsund, on the Baltic coast in northern Germany. (
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060714111646662)
Sydney, Australia - Protesting the ongoing brutality of the
capitalist system, environmental destruction, and attacks on human
rights that the goverments of the G8 countries perpetrate, activists
shut down the Russian Consulate in Sydney. (
http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/116904.php )
Washington, DC, USA - Critical Mass bike ride through downtown DC to
US Vice President Dick Cheney's home, followed by a rally against oil,
coal and nuclear energy outside the home of US Department of Energy
(DOE) Secretary Samuel Bodman. Protesters chanted "No Nukes, No Coal,
G8 Shut It Down!" Organized by DC Anti-War Network. ( http://rtc.revolt.org/node/281 )
Wellington, New Zealand - In solidarity with Climate Justice Day,
activists climbed a waterfront building to unfurl a banner in-front of
a 5 storey high picture of a tsunami wave reading, 'Will you get Thru?
Get Ready - Get Thru Climate Change.' Spokesperson Gareth Hughes said
"Climate Change is the most urgent issue facing New Zealand and World
and as this banner demonstrates we have got to get ready both to
mitigate its effects but also to adapt to a World a changing climate
and more extreme weather events." The activists said their action was
timed to happen just before the G8 meeting in St Petersburg, where the
8 richest industrialized countries will gather under the euphemistic
banner of "Energy Security."(
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0607/S00180.htm )
** For Immediate Release** July 17th, 2006
Contact: Ethan Green, Rising Tide North America
856.424.7662 (Backup: 503.493.7495)
g8@...http://rtc.revolt.org
Worldwide Protests Slam G8 Support of Nuclear, Coal, Oil
The protests included large "banner drops" in multiple cities, protests of
coal and oil companies, and rallies at the U.S. embassy in London and the
Washington, DC home of U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. On Friday,
protestors showed up at Bodman's home, demanding that the United States and
the G8 abandon the focus on nuclear, coal, and on oil wars as "energy
security." They chanted "No Coal, No Nukes, G-8 shut it down!" No arrests
took place.
"The G8 countries represent just 15 percent of the world's population but
they produce 45 percent of all human emissions of carbon dioxide, the
leading greenhouse gas," said Ethan Green of Rising Tide North America, a
group that publicized the July 15 protests against climate change and the G8
in the United States.
"Poor, indigenous and environmentally vulnerable communities should not bear
the brunt of disease epidemics, droughts, floods, melting ice, rising
oceans, hurricanes, and other catastrophes caused by the global climate
change that rich countries are responsible for due to our prodigious burning
of coal, oil and gas for energy," said Green.
***********
Protesters Condemn G8 Support of Nuclear, Coal, Oil
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, July 17, 2006 (ENS) - Demonstrators blockading a
main thoroughfare in St. Petersburg were arrested on Sunday as they
protested the Group of Eight, G8, statement on Global Energy Security that
includes support for nuclear power. They blocked the entrance of a hotel on
the Nevsky Prospekt which was used by participants of the G8 summit.
Protesters from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Minsk, Chishinau, Warsaw, Kiev,
Cardiff, and Berlin took part in the demonstration, displaying posters
saying "No G8!" in Russian and English.
Russian riot police arrested all of the 37 activists and cleared the
roadway. Some of the activists sat down and had to be carried away, others
were forced to leave the street in what they said was a brutal manner.
"We wanted to voice our demands to not develop nuclear energy," said Olga
Miryasova from Russia's Network Against the G8.
The protesters staged their demonstration to coincide with the G8 summit at
Strelna where the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia,
the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union wound up their
three day meeting today.
The sit-in took place despite the growing suppression of dissent by the
Russian government in recent years. Russian authorities preemptively
arrested over 200 activists before the G8 summit and forbade protesters from
leaving an alternative conference in St. Petersburg held on Saturday.
The G8 statement on global energy security advocates nuclear energy as one
way to address global climate change, yet environmental activists warn that
nuclear energy cannot be considered a positive way to reduce carbon
emissions and combat global climate change.
"Nuclear reactors are dangerous, extremely expensive, take many years to
build, and require massive government subsidies," the demonstrators said in
a statement.
The activists say they would like this funding to be used to quickly reduce
carbon emissions through energy efficiency measures, development of
renewable energy sources, and restoration of damaged wetland and forest
ecosystems.
In coalition with the protests in St. Petersburg, international
demonstrations occurred on July 14 and 15 in numerous cities in the United
States, the United Kingdom, Venezuela, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and
Germany.
The protests included large "banner drops" in multiple cities, protests of
coal and oil companies, and rallies at the U.S. embassy in London and the
Washington, DC home of U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman.
O
n Friday, protestors showed up at Bodman's home, demanding that the United
States and the G8 abandon the focus on nuclear, coal, and on oil wars as
"energy security." They chanted "No Coal, No Nukes, G-8 shut it down!" No
arrests took place.
"The G8 countries represent just 15 percent of the world's population but
they produce 45 percent of all human emissions of carbon dioxide, the
leading greenhouse gas," said Ethan Green of Rising Tide North America, a
group that publicized the July 15 protests against climate change and the G8
in the United States.
"Poor, indigenous and environmentally vulnerable communities should not bear
the brunt of disease epidemics, droughts, floods, melting ice, rising
oceans, hurricanes, and other catastrophes caused by the global climate
change that rich countries are responsible for due to our prodigious burning
of coal, oil and gas for energy," said Green.
On Friday, as a part of the Global Day of Action Against the G8 a small
group of protesters demonstrated in front of the Consulate General of the
Russian Federation in Sydney, Australia. The five protesters displayed
signs, shared vodka and iced tea, discussed the implications of the G8's
continued existence, and expressed solidarity with the protesters in Russia.
In fear of a larger demonstration, the consulate was closed to visitors,
part of the street was cordoned off, and at least 10 police officers guarded
the area near the entrance.
In Canada on Tuesday, a demonstration is planned at the Sidney, British
Columbia office of federal Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn, to
protest the withdrawal of support for the Kyoto climate protocol by the
recently elected Conservative government.
The protesters, organized by the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, will
hold a brief rally with speakers, songs by the Raging Grannies, placards,
and banners, followed by a petition drive to passersby in downtown Sidney,
about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the provincial capital of Victoria.
The Western Canada Wilderness Committee is calling on the federal
Conservative government of Canada to "at the very least, honor Canada's
participation in the Kyoto Accord by working to achieve its emissions
targets for Canada of six percent below 1990 emissions levels by the year
2012."
The protesters fault the Conservatives for "scrapping Canada's obligation to
meet Kyoto's emissions reductions targets, falsely stating that it's
impossible to meet the targets."
They object to the elimination of over a dozen major federal climate change
programs, including the C$1 billion dollar Partnership Fund which was to be
used for climate change projects for five provinces, as well as the
EnerGuide Program to provide rebates to Canadians who buy more energy
efficient appliances.
The Wilderness Committee says a leaked government document shows the
Conservatives are "working to delay, obstruct and sabotage progress during
negotiations among Kyoto signatories by trying to weaken emissions
reductions targets, with a goal of eventually eliminating the entire
agreement."
Instead of reducing greenhouse gases, the demonstrators say the
Conservatives are granting "huge subsidies to the highly destructive Alberta
tar sands industry and the oil and gas industry in general."
Climate activists occupy Didcot coal power station in UK
press release - July 18th 2006:
Early this morning activists from climate change pressure group Reclaim Power
occupied a lighting tower at Didcot power station in Oxfordshire. Three
climbers scaled the tower and unfurled a 50-foot orange and black
banner with the words 'Climate Crime'. They plan to remain there for
several hours in a peaceful but visually dramatic action to highlight
the role of coal-fired power stations in climate change.
Lyn Barth from Reclaim Power said, "This is a shot across the bows
for the coal industry. Coal produces more greenhouse gases than any
other form of electricity generation. The future isn't in fossil fuels
or nuclear. The future is in reducing our energy consumption and
sustainable alternative energy. Otherwise we leave a legacy of
destruction to our children."
Campaigners are concerned that the government and companies like the
owners of Didcot power station, RWE/npower, are failing to take serious
action on climate change.
Ms Barth continued: "It is up to individuals to force them to stop their emissions before the planet reaches a catastrophe."
This is not the first time Didcot has been targeted by protestors
against climate change. The action against Didcot is part of a series
of actions, which include the publicly announced occupation planned for
Britain's largest coal power station, Drax in Yorkshire, during the
Camp for Climate Action.
NOTES:
1. This action was carried out by autonomous activists in support of
climate campaign group Reclaim Power (www.reclaimpower.org.uk).
3. Reclaim Power is calling for mass direct action at Drax power
station in North Yorkshire on 31st August. Drax is the largest single
emitter of greenhouse gases in the UK
4. Reclaim Power is part of the Camp for Climate Action (26th
August-4th September), creating grassroots solutions to climate change
through ten days of actions, education, networking and skill-sharing.
For more information see www.climatecamp.org.uk
** For Immediate Release** July 17th, 2006 Contact: Ethan Green, Rising Tide North America 856.424.7662 (Backup: 503.493.7495)
g8@... http://rtc.revolt.org
Worldwide Protests Slam G8 Support of Nuclear, Coal, Oil
The
protests included large "banner drops" in multiple cities, protests of
coal and oil companies, and rallies at the U.S. embassy in London and
the Washington, DC home of U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. On
Friday, protestors showed up at Bodman's home, demanding that the
United States and the G8 abandon the focus on nuclear, coal, and on oil
wars as "energy security." They chanted "No Coal, No Nukes, G-8 shut it
down!" No arrests took place.
"The G8 countries represent just 15 percent of the world's
population but they produce 45 percent of all human emissions of carbon
dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas," said Ethan Green of Rising Tide North America, a group that publicized the July 15 protests against climate change and the G8 in the United States.
"Poor, indigenous and environmentally vulnerable communities
should not bear the brunt of disease epidemics, droughts, floods,
melting ice, rising oceans, hurricanes, and other catastrophes caused
by the global climate change that rich countries are responsible for
due to our prodigious burning of coal, oil and gas for energy," said
Green.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, July 17, 2006 (ENS) - Demonstrators
blockading a main thoroughfare in St. Petersburg were arrested on
Sunday as they protested the Group of Eight, G8, statement on Global
Energy Security that includes support for nuclear power. They blocked
the entrance of a hotel on the Nevsky Prospekt which was used by
participants of the G8 summit.
Protesters from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Minsk, Chishinau, Warsaw,
Kiev, Cardiff, and Berlin took part in the demonstration, displaying
posters saying "No G8!" in Russian and English.
Russian riot police arrested all of the 37 activists and cleared the
roadway. Some of the activists sat down and had to be carried away,
others were forced to leave the street in what they said was a brutal
manner.
"We wanted to voice our demands to not develop nuclear energy," said Olga Miryasova from Russia's Network Against the G8.
The protesters staged their demonstration to coincide with the G8
summit at Strelna where the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European
Union wound up their three day meeting today.
The sit-in took place despite the growing suppression of dissent by
the Russian government in recent years. Russian authorities
preemptively arrested over 200 activists before the G8 summit and
forbade protesters from leaving an alternative conference in St.
Petersburg held on Saturday.
The G8 statement on global energy security advocates nuclear energy
as one way to address global climate change, yet environmental
activists warn that nuclear energy cannot be considered a positive way
to reduce carbon emissions and combat global climate change.
"Nuclear reactors are dangerous, extremely expensive, take many
years to build, and require massive government subsidies," the
demonstrators said in a statement.
The activists say they would like this funding to be used to quickly
reduce carbon emissions through energy efficiency measures, development
of renewable energy sources, and restoration of damaged wetland and
forest ecosystems.
In coalition with the protests in St. Petersburg, international
demonstrations occurred on July 14 and 15 in numerous cities in the
United States, the United Kingdom, Venezuela, New Zealand, the
Netherlands, and Germany.
The protests included large "banner drops" in multiple cities,
protests of coal and oil companies, and rallies at the U.S. embassy in
London and the Washington, DC home of U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel
Bodman.
O
n Friday, protestors showed up at Bodman's home, demanding
that the United States and the G8 abandon the focus on nuclear, coal,
and on oil wars as "energy security." They chanted "No Coal, No Nukes,
G-8 shut it down!" No arrests took place.
"The G8 countries represent just 15 percent of the world's
population but they produce 45 percent of all human emissions of carbon
dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas," said Ethan Green of Rising Tide North America, a group that publicized the July 15 protests against climate change and the G8 in the United States.
"Poor, indigenous and environmentally vulnerable communities should
not bear the brunt of disease epidemics, droughts, floods, melting ice,
rising oceans, hurricanes, and other catastrophes caused by the global
climate change that rich countries are responsible for due to our
prodigious burning of coal, oil and gas for energy," said Green.
On Friday, as a part of the Global Day of Action Against the G8 a
small group of protesters demonstrated in front of the Consulate
General of the Russian Federation in Sydney, Australia. The five
protesters displayed signs, shared vodka and iced tea, discussed the
implications of the G8's continued existence, and expressed solidarity
with the protesters in Russia.
In fear of a larger demonstration, the consulate was closed to
visitors, part of the street was cordoned off, and at least 10 police
officers guarded the area near the entrance.
In Canada on Tuesday, a demonstration is planned at the Sidney,
British Columbia office of federal Minister of Natural Resources Gary
Lunn, to protest the withdrawal of support for the Kyoto climate
protocol by the recently elected Conservative government.
The protesters, organized by the Western Canada Wilderness
Committee, will hold a brief rally with speakers, songs by the Raging
Grannies, placards, and banners, followed by a petition drive to
passersby in downtown Sidney, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of
the provincial capital of Victoria.
The Western Canada Wilderness Committee is calling on the federal
Conservative government of Canada to "at the very least, honor Canada's
participation in the Kyoto Accord by working to achieve its emissions
targets for Canada of six percent below 1990 emissions levels by the
year 2012."
The protesters fault the Conservatives for "scrapping Canada's
obligation to meet Kyoto's emissions reductions targets, falsely
stating that it's impossible to meet the targets."
They object to the elimination of over a dozen major federal climate
change programs, including the C$1 billion dollar Partnership Fund
which was to be used for climate change projects for five provinces, as
well as the EnerGuide Program to provide rebates to Canadians who buy
more energy efficient appliances.
The Wilderness Committee says a leaked government document shows the
Conservatives are "working to delay, obstruct and sabotage progress
during negotiations among Kyoto signatories by trying to weaken
emissions reductions targets, with a goal of eventually eliminating the
entire agreement."
Instead of reducing greenhouse gases, the demonstrators say the
Conservatives are granting "huge subsidies to the highly destructive
Alberta tar sands industry and the oil and gas industry in general."
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Six years after he lost his bid for the White House, Al Gore, the former U.S. vice-president, has returned to the national stage, but this time as a champion of the movement to fight global climate change.
A longtime environmentalist and vice-president during the Bill Clinton administration (Democrat) from 1993 to 2001, Gore is now trying to build a mass movement across the United States to force the political establishment in Washington to rethink its policy on climate change.
Since the release last month of his documentary film, "An Inconvenient Truth," which warns of the dangers posed by global warming, once again Gore has become a household name in the United States.
Encouraged by the successful release of the movie, which already has been seen by millions of people, Gore now plans to launch a nationwide campaign to mobilise public opinion on global warming. Scheduled to start by the end of the northern hemisphere summer, the campaign is to involve at least 1,000 activists. Having been trained by Gore himself, they will spread out across the country to create awareness about climate change.
The former vice president seems to be convinced that official policy on climate change in Washington will remain a distant possibility unless constituents put more pressure on their senators and representatives in Congress.
Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, 34 industrialised countries are obligated to reduce their "greenhouse gas" emissions 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are the leading cause of global warming, agree the vast majority in the global scientific community.
Although Clinton signed the Kyoto Protocol, the George W. Bush administration (Republican) not only refuses to endorse it -- arguing that it would damage the U.S. economy -- but also tries to cast doubt on the levels of global warming projected by world's scientific community.
Gore, who played an active role in global efforts to establish the treaty, rejects Bush's argument and insists that it is high time to curb greenhouse gas emissions, for which the United States is chiefly responsible. The U.S. currently has five percent of the world's population, but produces 25 percent of the world's global warming pollution, according to a report by the U.S.-based environmental group Sierra Club
"This moment cannot be allowed to pass," said Gore as he unveiled his campaign plans. "I have seen and heard times before when the awareness of the climate crisis has peaked and then a few months later, it's gone. I think this time is different."
In addition to training activists, Gore's campaign also includes efforts to establish what he calls the "Alliance for Climate Protection," an umbrella group that will include a wide range of prominent corporate executives, trade union representatives, and religious leaders, among others, and with the mission of raising tens of millions of dollars.
This effort has led some to suggest the possibility that Gore may make a presidential bid in the 2008 elections. But he has rejected such speculations as "totally, totally absurd."
"I feel very strongly that the climate crisis needs to be redefined as a moral -- not a political issue," he said in a recent interview with Grist magazine.
Though Gore's opponents, especially those in the Republican camp, may continue to raise doubts about his real intentions, critics on the political left hold radically different views.
"It's hard not to be supportive of his initiative," Ralph Nader, who ran against Gore and Bush on the Green Party ticket in 2000 elections and who some blame for Gore's defeat, told Tierramérica.
"I don't think he is running for president," said Nader, a longtime consumer advocate and one of the pioneers of environmental movement in the United States. "Those who run from one big funder to another for such a cause are not expected to run for president."
Nader may be right. Despite being the main spirit behind the Alliance, Gore has decided not to serve on its board of directors, which comprises members from both the Democratic and Republican parties. It seems that he intends to involve people of a range of political inclinations in the campaign against climate change.
But despite his bipartisan efforts to focus on changing the U.S. policy on climate change, attacks on Gore from think-tanks and media considered to be supportive of the energy industry are becoming increasingly visible.
Recently the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington, DC-based group financed in part by the oil company Exxon Mobil, launched a series of TV ads about "the alleged global warning crisis."
For their part, Gore and his supporters are making efforts to involve philanthropist billionaires like George Soros, Ted Turner, Steve Jobs (head of Apple computers) and others who are seen as sympathetic to the campaign on global warming.
While funding for the media and education campaign may take several weeks to arrive, it seems that Gore has no lack of support from civil society groups already running environmental campaigns on a limited scale.
"Gore has reinvented himself in the best way possible: by pushing for common-sense solutions to one of the most pressing problems of our time," said Scott Paul of the Citizens for Global Solutions, an independent group based in Washington, DC, in an interview with Tierramérica.
"Gore's plan to train 1,000 people is one example of serious leadership," he added. "Americans have been waiting for it."
According to the group, more than three-quarters of those polled in the United States believe the federal government should limit greenhouse gas emissions, and an even greater majority believe that climate change poses a serious threat.
In Paul's view, Gore is seeking to build political will for the "ambitious political solutions" the United States will need to meet the challenge of climate change. "His effort would be a great step forward," he said.
Despite his political differences with the former vice president, Nader offered a similar opinion: "I think Gore's going to make it an issue... It's going to be an issue in 2008."
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thank you very much Jennie, great stuff!
Much appreciated.
Warm regards
Anne
----- Original Message -----
From: "George, Jennie (MP)" <Jennie.George.MP@...>
To: "Anne Goddard" <winter___@...>
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 3:20 PM
Subject: RE: Submission on expansion of the nuclear industry
Hi Anne
Please see attached word document of the speech..
I will have my web manager see about putting the link to the Climate
Change Petition onto my website (tho it is still a way off from being
completed) and have also contacted Anthony Albanese's office to do the
same if possible.
Regards
Jennie
-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Goddard [mailto:winter___@...]
Sent: Wednesday, 5 July 2006 8:53 AM
To: George, Jennie (MP)
Subject: Re: Submission on expansion of the nuclear industry
Dear Jennie
Thanks for your reply. I can imagine your busy schedule and the time
spent
is greatly appreciated. Unfortunately I don't have a working version of
Adobe on my computer, and my poor old system is so full of important
information that i simply don't have room left on it to upgrade. I would
be
very interested in reading your speech on Sustainable Energy. Is there
any
chance you could please send it to me in word format? Even as a notepad
document - i can at least open it.
I really liked your website (under construction). It appears to me that
we
are very "like- minded". Would you consider signing the Global Climate
Change Mitigation Petition?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/737214963
Would you further consider adding a link to the Climate Change Petition
from
your website's front page?
I would be greatly honoured! It would also be a way for your
constituents to
understand that there is a better way towards a sustainable future, and
nuclear is not the answer.
Warm regards
Anne Goddard
----- Original Message -----
From: "George, Jennie (MP)" <Jennie.George.MP@...>
To: "Anne Goddard" <winter___@...>
Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 12:12 PM
Subject: RE: Submission on expansion of the nuclear industry
Dear Anne
Thank you for sending me a copy of your note to the Prime Minister.
I spoke recently in Parliament on the RENEWABLE ENERGY (ELECTRICITY)
AMENDMENT BILL 2006 (see below)
http://www.jenniegeorge.com.au/inparliament/2006/RenewableEnergy.20June2
006.pdf
Regards
Jennie George MP
THROSBY
-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Goddard [mailto:winter___@...]
Sent: Friday, 30 June 2006 5:04 PM
To: npc@...; Beazley, Kim (MP); info@...;
office@...; Territory.Labor@...; info@...;
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Anthony (MP); Bevis, Arch (MP); Bird, Sharon (MP); Bishop, Mark
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Subject: Submission on expansion of the nuclear industry
cc: Senators and Members of Parliament
Personal note to The Prime Minister:
Dear Mr Howard,
Please consider this message as my submission against the expansion of
the nuclear industry in Australia, and to my complete and total
opposition to the utilisation of nuclear power as a viable option for
power generation, either at present or at any time in the immediately
foreseeable future.
Please immediately disregard the "nuclear option" as your choice for
your people.
In hope ...
----------------------
TO: Keith Baldry
Director, Radiation Protection Division
Environment Protection Authority
PO Box 721, KENT TOWN SA 5071
Ms Anne Goddard
PO Box 316,
Gin Gin, Qld, 4671
June 30, 2006, 4:30 pm
Dear Sir/Madam
Please accept this submission on my behalf and on behalf of future
generations of Australians, on behalf of my children on behalf of your
own children.
Nuclear Power is not safe. It creates waste. The waste created has no
safe method of storage and remains poisonous for thousands and thousands
of years.
The history of the nuclear industry is proven and clear. We must learn
from our own history. There have been horrific accidents, leaks,
cover-ups on the extent of damage caused by accidents and deliberate
misleading information distributed to taxpayers.
Many people do not fully understand or comprehend the deadly results of
utilising uranium for power or of the long term consequences of storage
of waste, or of the industries which are profiting from the attempted
genocide of races of people.
Truthful public education on the implications of expanding the nuclear
industry should be the highest priority of our elected representatives.
Information should be immediately distributed to the general public on
the grave dangers of expansion of the nuclear industry, particularly on
the following issues :-
- There is no insurance company (that I know of) which will insure
against accidents, leaks or subsequent fall out and poisoning of lands,
water, air or properties.
- Nuclear waste in the form of depleted uranium in weapons used by
countries in the "Coalition of the Willing" in war, is finding its way
into the food chain and contaminating lands all over the planet, not
only on the lands of people whom we wage war against.
- Depleted Uranium weapons are creating terrible consequences for the
peoples of countries which the "Coalition of the Willing" wages war
against, including horrific birth defects.
- There are viable alternatives to the expansion of the nuclear
industry:
1) Wave Power
2) Tidal Power
3) Hydroelectric Power
4) Solar Power
5) Geothermal Power
6) Wind Power
7) Feeding the above power sources back into the grid from individual
properties and businesses.
I have read that wave power alone could "light up the world".
Your choices on this issue now are why you were elected by the people of
this country.
They want a better world for themselves and for their children and for
your children. You hold positions of honour and respect in their minds.
As their representatives you must do your upmost to try and supply them
with their wishes.
Please take the correct road.
Sustainable futures for all. Leave the uranium in the ground where it
belongs.
Yours sincerely
Anne Goddard
ABC's 4 Corners
In 13 minutes from the sending of this email...
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/
Take part in a live online debate after the Four Corners report on Peak Oil.
Joining reporter Jonathan Holmes will be guest panellists Bruce Robinson,
ASPO and Andrew McNamara, Labor MP for Hervey Bay QLD. The forum will be
open for your comments at the later than usual time of 9.45pm AEST.
go directly to the live forum ....
http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/Board.aspx?b=21
view transcript here:
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1683060.htm
and view broadband edition from
From: PeaceDay921@... To: peaceday2006@... Subject: 75 Days to Peace Day! Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2006 13:15:02 EDT
Peace Day - September 21 - The International Day of Peace
Catalyst for a Culture of Peace
The International Day of Peace (Peace Day) is a unique opportunity to bring attention to the millions of little and big things that individuals and organizations around the world are doing all year long to make this world a better place. It is a catalyzing event that is helping to unite the many diverse movements for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Peace Day will help us all realize just how big the global movement for a culture of peace really is! (www.CultureOfPeace.org )
25th Annual Observance!
September 21, 2006 will be the 25th annual Peace Day observance! This year, events and activities include concerts, parades, conferences, festivals, gatherings, service projects, ceremonies, children's activities such as peace art & essay contests and pinwheels for peace, Peace Day parties and peace vigils that are being planned by more than 1000 organizations in over 100 nations. (For highlights, local listings and to list your event, please visit www.internationaldayofpeace.org)
Highlighted Peace Day Events
UNITED NATIONS OBSERVANCE Several events will take place at UN Headquarters including the ringing of the Peace Bell by the Secretary-general and celebrity Peace Messengers, commencing a Minute of Silence for peace; a satellite-linked event with hundreds of children; and a high level interfaith conference for peace attended by National Ministers, religious NGOs and UN agencies. (www.PeaceDayEvents.org)
PEACE VIGILS Each year thousands of Peace Vigils take place for the International Day of Peace. These range from small vigils of just a few people to huge gatherings of up to 300,000 people. Make your commitment to hold a Peace Day vigil. (www.IDPvigil.com)
NOON MINUTE OF SILENCE Join millions around the world every day at Noon in a Moment of Silence for peace. On the International Day of Peace bring your community together at Noon around one of the more than 200,000 Peace Poles found in every nation that express the wish, "May Peace Prevail On Earth." (www.MinuteOfSilence.org )
MUSIC FOR PEACE Musicians and performers around the world are dedicating their performances to Peace Day during the Countdown and on Peace Day. If you are a performer, please dedicate one or more of your performances for peace and let your audience know about the International Day of Peace. www.PeaceDayConcert.org
SERVICE FOR PEACE Volunteering for a service project in your community on the International Day of Peace is a tangible way to make a difference for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. (http://serviceforpeace.org/IDP2005.htm)
TREES FOR PEACE Any school can join the more than 300 schools in 90 countries that participate in the ENO Schools program (Environment Online) to plant trees at 12 Noon for the International Day of Peace as a symbol for environmental protection and international cooperation in the field of environmental education, cultural diversity, tolerance and peace.(http://eno.joensuu.fi/treedatabase.htm)
COMEDY FOR PEACE Last year thinkpeace.net organized "Stand-Up for International Peace" events in comedy and music clubs in 28 cities worldwide! This year many more clubs will participate. (www.thinkpeace.net)
PROCLAMATIONS You can ask your Mayor, Governor & Head of State to join other cities, states and nations in declaring a Proclamation of Peace for the International Day of Peace. Which nation will be the first to declare a Legal Holiday for Peace Day? (www.PeaceProclamations.com)
The 4th Annual Global Peace Film Festival opens Sept. 14, 2006, and runs through Sept. 21st, 2006. Over 40 features, documentaries and shorts will be shown, along with panel discussions and guest speakers. The outreach program will present screenings and discussions at various community centers, schools and colleges. www.peacefilmfest.org
International Day Of Peace Concert
In support of the 25th Anniversary of the United Nations International Day of Peace, Garson Entertainment will produce the first ever global peace concert on the International Peace Day, September 21, 2006. The two-hour taped television event will air live from one main stage and tape artists from their respective countries on stages around the world, including Geneva, Africa, United States, Jerusalem, the Great Wall of China, India, South America, and Canada. www.InternationalDayofPeaceConcert.com
PEACE PRIZE On the international day of peace, September 21, 2006, The Agape Foundation will be having its 2nd annual Peace Prize event at 111 Minna Street Gallery in San Francisco, CA. This Prize is given in recognition of Northern California individuals and organizations that provide voice and leadership as peacemakers and agents of social change. www.agapefdn.org/peaceprize/index.html
PEACE IN SCHOOL Show children the pathways to peace by highlighting peace in classroom studies, having a special assembly and/or observing the 12 Noon Minute of Silence, as well as participating in The 9th Annual International Peace Pals Art Competition and Exhibition, whose winners will be announced at a ceremony in In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (www.worldpeace.org/peacepalscontests.html)
FLYING PEACE DOVES Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots chapters were responsible for flying giant peace doves in 22 countries and 69 cities in 2005 to inspire their communities for the International Day of Peace. Bring the giant doves of peace to your Peace Day celebration. (www.GiantPeaceDoves.org)
PINWHEELS FOR PEACE More than 1350 schools and groups around the world participated last year in the Pinwheels For Peace program to celebrate Peace Day, creating and displaying 1/2 million pinwheels for peace to inspire their communities to imagine whirled peace - This year many more will participate. (www.pinwheelsforpeace.com)
PEACE ONE DAY VIDEO SCREENINGS The Peace One Day video has been seen by audiences in more than 100 nations. This inspiring award-winning documentary shows the journey of actor/filmmaker Jeremy Gilley's efforts to help create humanity's first day of peace on September 21. (www.PeaceOneDay.org)
The Great Peace Give-Away Campaign of A Million 'Peaces' On the International Day of Peace, September 21, Peace Champions will launch a massive culture shift process by giving away copies of the best-selling book, The Peace Book: 108 Simple Ways to Make a More Peaceful World. During the Countdown to Peace Day you can receive 36 free daily email selections from The Peace Book. www.thepeacecompany.com/greatpeace/
A Season of Forgiving & Eleven Days of Peace September 11-21 You are invited to participate in an omni-local worldwide celebration to launch 11 Days of Global Unity, Forgiveness, and Nonviolence. Create an Interfaith Celebration in your community between the Centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha Movement on September 11, 2006, and the UN International Day of Peace and Call for a Global Ceasefire on September 21. www.agnt.org/seasonForgiving.htm
11 Days of Global Unity September 11-September 21 Creating a Culture of Peace; Celebrating a Sustainable Future - Annually September 11 - 21 Culminating on the International Day of Peace - With more than 200 events in over 60 countries! www.wetheworld.org/wtw2/11days/index.php4
The Declaration of Peace is a nationwide campaign to establish by September 21, 2006 a concrete and rapid plan for peace in Iraq, including: a prompt timetable for withdrawal of troops and closure of bases; a peace process for security, reconstruction, and reconciliation and the shift of funding for war to meeting human needs. To sign the declaration: http://declarationofpeace.org/
FAST FOR PEACE As part of the Troops Home Fast campaign, Cindy Sheehan, Code Pink, Gold Star Families for Peace and Global Exchange launched a rolling program of fasts on July 4. So far more than 3000 activists, politicians and celebrities such as Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson have joined the fast. The planned end to the rolling fasts is Sept. 21, the International Peace Day, when activists throughout the country will initiate a week of nonviolent actions against the war as part of the Declaration of Peace. www.TroopsHomeFast.org
PEACE DAY PARTIES You don't have to plan a BIG event to be part of the global Peace Day observance. Invite a few friends to get together to watch the Peace One Day video or to write letters for peace together, light a candle for peace or just talk about our shared wish for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. (www.PeaceDayParty.com)
PEACE DAY POSTERS 2 Peace Day posters have been created by award winning artist Irene Kai for Pathways To Peace. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these posters goes towards supporting Pathways To Peace's work as secretariat of the Culture of Peace Initiative (www.cultureofpeace.org) a UN-designated Peace Messenger Initiative, and host of InternationalDayOfPeace.org (www.PTPposter.com)
Is your organization working to build a culture of peace? Please list your organization as a participant in the CULTURE OF PEACE INITIATIVE - www.CultureOfPeace.org. Formerly the "We The Peoples" Initiative, this UN-designated Peace Messenger Initiative serves to promote the International Day of Peace and to unite the strengths of existing organizations building Cultures of Peace for succeeding generations. The Initiative includes a network of more than 350 participating peace-building organizations in every region of the world.
Pathways To Peace, as the International Secretariat, would like to invite all peace-building organizations to participate and to list their organizations in the Culture of Peace participant directory. You can also post your activities for the International Day of Peace and your work towards building a culture of peace. By doing so, individuals and other organizations can learn about your work, offerings and needs.
Pathways To Peace is an international peace-building organization that was instrumental in working with the UN to create the International Day of Peace in 1981 and has been promoting it since its inception.
GET INVOLVED!
To find out more about how you can be involved in helping to spread the word about the International Day of Peace, please visit: www.internationaldayofpeace.org
Peace Day News is produced by Pathways To Peace the International Secretariat of the Culture of Peace Initiative (formerly the "We The Peoples" Initiative) a United Nations-designated Peace Messenger Initiative
Your tax-deductible donation can help create humanity's first day of peace ever.
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May Peace Prevail On Earth!
...Uniting our strengths along pathways to peace to build a culture of peace.... YOU ARE A PATHWAY TO PEACE
Caldicott: 'We should not be exporting uranium because you are exporting
cancer."
Posted by: "Viviane Lerner" viviane@... vlerner2002
Date: Mon Jul 3, 2006 7:08 am (PDT)
http://tinyurl.com/emr82 [Sydney Morning Herald]
'We should not be exporting uranium because you are exporting cancer'
July 2, 2006 Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/we-should-not-be-exporting-uranium/2006/07/0\
1/1151174440560.html?page=fullpage
Not recognised among Australia's 100 most influential people, anti-nuclear
campaigner Dr Helen Caldicott still stands tall on the world stage, Erin
O'Dwyer
writes. 'We've gone backwards decades under Bush and Howard'
LIKE all our best intellectuals, Helen Caldicott is better known in the
United
States than at home.
In 1982, she silenced a crowd of 1 million people who gathered in New York's
Central Park to hear her speak on nuclear disarmament.
But in 1998, when she addressed 1000 people in Engadine protesting against
Sydney's Lucas Heights reactor, Caldicott was shouted down by hecklers.
It was a similar story last week when The Bulletin magazine listed 100 of
the
most influential Australians. Cookery writer Margaret Fulton and pop star
Kylie
Minogue made the cut. Helen Caldicott, the world's leading anti-nuclear
voice,
did not.
Yet she has been named as one of the 100 most influential women of the 20th
century by the Smithsonian Institution, and she was nominated in 1985 for
the
Nobel peace prize.
Perhaps it's tall poppy syndrome. Perhaps it is sexism. Or perhaps Caldicott
is
unsung here simply because we have stopped listening to her message.
"In the '70s and '80s, Australia was very anti-nuclear," she says. "And I
used
to be very well listened to in Australia in the '70s and '80s. But we've
gone
backwards decades under the Bush Administration and under the Howard
administration and it's been quite devastating."
This month Caldicott publishes her sixth book - Nuclear Power Is Not The
Answer
To Global Warming Or Anything Else (Melbourne University Press). It comes as
the
nuclear energy debate heats up amid increased awareness that Australia has
about
40 per cent of the world's recoverable uranium resources.
Caldicott hopes the book will penetrate the political untruth that nuclear
energy is a safe, green alternative.
"[People] think that it is the answer to global warming," she says, "but in
truth it adds to global warming. It does not fix it."
Caldicott's message has always been simple. Nuclear energy leaves a toxic
legacy
to future generations because it produces not only global warming gases but
also
massive amounts of toxic carcinogenic radioactive waste. It is also far more
expensive than other forms of electricity generation and can trigger
proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Even worse, radioactive elements in nuclear-powered countries are already
leaking - into the ground, into rivers and oceans, and into the food chain.
Already 40 per cent of Europe's landmass is radioactive after Chernobyl, and
increasingly so are its food supplies. Alarmingly that includes human breast
milk.
Caldicott warns that as more people are exposed, cancers such as leukemia
will
become more common. So will genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis. "We
should
not be exporting uranium because by exporting uranium, you are exporting
cancer," she says.
A pediatrician who specialised in cystic fibrosis, Caldicott first grabbed
headlines protesting against French nuclear testing in the 1970s. She used
her
profile to mobilise trade unions and elicited an ACTU resolution to ban
uranium
mining.
After migrating to the US in the late '70s with her then husband Bill
Caldicott,
she became a faculty member of the Harvard Medical School. There she
mobilised
doctors and established Physicians for Social Responsibility with 23,000
influential members. It became one of the US's most powerful anti-nuclear
lobby
groups and won the Nobel peace prize in 1985.
Caldicott had resigned from the leadership group amid political power play
and
did not attend the ceremony. Yet she refused to let that devastating
experience
stop her. She went on to teach at leading universities and was honoured with
countless awards and honorary degrees.
Three years ago, she established the Nuclear Policy Research Institute in
Washington, known for its high-powered scientific symposiums. She has just
been
named as the inaugural winner of the Australian Peace Prize.
The journey hasn't always been easy. On the eve of her 50th birthday,
Caldicott's marriage ended. All her anti-nuclear work was "ashes in my
mouth".
She includes the break-up when asked about her personal milestones. She also
includes the births of her six grandchildren. This is because, as a
pediatrician, Caldicott's motivation has always been her children, her
children's children and children everywhere. "It's one of the reasons I do
the
work I do," she says. "I practise global preventative medicine."
This year Caldicott will turn 68. She is slowing down, spending less time on
the
world stage and more time with family at her Central Coast hideaway. But she
refuses to go quietly, and has mastered the art of working smarter not
harder.
Now, instead of rallying unionists and doctors, she maintains a contact book
of
the world's top opinion leaders and journalists. Three times during our
interview she quotes Thomas Jefferson about a functioning democracy
requiring an
informed citizenry.
"In the old days it was grass roots and this time it's tree tops," she says.
"I'm getting older and it's more efficient to educate the media because
through
them you get to millions of people."
Caldicott's motivation might always have been her family, but these days she
is
careful to spend more time with them.
The best example is the night Madonna called to chat about the medical
dangers
of nuclear power.
Caldicott was preparing a lamb roast for her family and said: "Madonna, I
can't
take your call right now. I'll have to talk to you later."
"My family has never forgiven me," she says with a laugh.
"But my children were resentful that I wasn't around much and I do think
about
that. I wish I had been.
"On the other hand, I was wanting to make sure that they had a future.
Nothing
you do comes without consequences."
See http://www.nuclearpolicy.org and http://www.helencaldicott.com .
Helen Caldicote launched in Melbourne her new book - Nuclear Power is Not
the Answer.
Late night on the ABC 7.30 report Helen Caldicote was interviewed by Kerry
O'Brien.
KERRY O'BRIEN, PRESENTER: Twenty-five years ago, Australian doctor Helen
Caldicott was one of the most powerful and compelling figures on America's
public stage. She founded a movement of more than 20,000 physicians and
scientists against the nuclear arms race, and even her enemies had to
acknowledge the potency of her appeal.
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: Don't believe what they're saying, watch what they do.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
KERRY O'BRIEN: In one disarmament rally in New York's Central Park in 1982,
something like a million people turned out to hear her speak. But the end of
the Cold War was pretty much the end of the movement, and the one-time Nobel
Prize nominee eventually retired to the NSW Central Coast. Yet in recent
years, she's sought to rekindle the spark of protest. And now, as the
Australian Government launches its inquiry into the feasibility of nuclear
power here, she's already moved to attack its credibility, with her own
launch in Melbourne this week - a book called Nuclear Power is Not the
Answer. I spoke with Helen Caldicott at her home near Gosford.
Helen Caldicott, can I begin with, I suppose, the most obvious question. You
had an enormous following in the early 80s. The impetus of your campaign
tended to peter out as the threat of nuclear holocaust dissipated. You
retired to your coastal garden and to spend more time with family. Why the
comeback?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT, ANTI-NUCLEAR ACTIVIST: Well, I, too, thought that the
risk of nuclear war would just dissipate and go away and the main movers and
shakers would get rid of the nuclear weapons and for a while there in the
90s, no-one really knew which direction it was going to take. And then
Clinton was elected and Clinton didn't have the courage to take on the
Pentagon. He was scared of them. He just let the matter lie. And now America
and Russia still target each other on hair-trigger alert with thousands of
nuclear weapons. And I'm trying to set up a conference with the Pentagon at
the moment and the White House and the Russians to talk about the fact that
we could be blown off the face of the earth tonight. And it's more serious
now than it was at the height of the Cold War.
KERRY O'BRIEN: And yet, you found it very hard to reignite the spark this
time round, haven't you? Why?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: Because people think the risk's gone away. They're
practising psychic numbing. Thank God it's all finished, we're friendly with
the Russians. But the fact is the Russian early warning system doesn't work
and by accident or by terrorist intrusion they could blow up the world
tonight.
KERRY O'BRIEN: On nuclear power, on which your book is about to be launched,
you say the arguments against nuclear power are overwhelming. You're not
shaken by the fact that some highly-respected global warming campaigners say
that the threat of greenhouse is so great that the risks of nuclear power
are outweighed by the benefits that nuclear power on a large scale would
deliver on greenhouse.
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: What are the benefits it would deliver? The fact is that
the nuclear fuel cycle from A to Z, mining, milling, enriching, building the
reactor, storing the waste for half a million years, produce a lot of
greenhouse gases. So nuclear power, in fact, adds to greenhouse warming,
does not detract, does not negate it, adds to it substantially.
KERRY O'BRIEN: But once a nuclear power station is built, it is then not
adding to greenhouse, correct?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: No, but you've got to make the fuel, Kerry. You've got
to enrich the uranium, you've got to dig it up and the quality of uranium
will be declining rapidly over time and it's going to produce, use a huge
amount of fossil fuel to enrich it. So soon, in a decade or two, a nuclear
power plant will produce as much CO2 as a similar sized gas-fired plant. So
the argument is fallacious, but the nuclear industry is spending hundreds of
millions of dollars to convince people that nuclear power is the answer to
global warming, which it's not.
KERRY O'BRIEN: But some highly credible scientists, eminent scientists, are
swayed by the argument.
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: Name them. Which ones?
KERRY O'BRIEN: Well, I'll tell you. James Lovelock is a powerful
environmentalist and scientific voice, isn't he? When he calls for a massive
expansion in the world's nuclear energy programs because he believes it's
the only option left to stem the rapid advance of the greenhouse threat, I
mean, is he dumb on this?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: He's off the tracks. I've spoken to James Lovelock
several times. He thinks that oxygen causes cancer, although he's a medical
scientist. And he said, "Look, the way to heat my house is to put nuclear
waste in my basement". So he wasn't open to reason or understanding. He's
right on greenhouse warming, absolutely. He's totally wrong on nuclear
power. And nuclear power from a medical perspective will, over time, induce
epidemics of cancer and leukaemia and genetic disease forever more. And if
he's a medical scientist he should indeed be concerned about that.
KERRY O'BRIEN: No-one can doubt Tim Flannery's scientific and environmental
credentials. He says James Lovelock has a point on nuclear power. Flannery,
too, is coming to see nuclear power as possibly a lesser of evils with
regard to greenhouse in Australia.
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: You don't replace one evil with another, Kerry.
KERRY O'BRIEN: If it's the lesser of evils?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: It's not the lesser of evils. The generation of nuclear
power is the only electricity generation that can destroy a city. There are
two huge nuclear reactors 35 miles from Manhattan. They were targets for the
9/11 terrorists. If one of those goes and the wind blows towards Manhattan,
that's the end of the financial capital of the world.
KERRY O'BRIEN: If all the arguments against nuclear power are as
overwhelming as you assert, particularly the economic arguments like the
need for massive government subsidies, surely those arguments have to win
the day? In which case, what have you got to worry about?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: Yeah, it's a good point. I mean, Wall Street is very
reluctant to invest in nuclear power. Standard & Poor's now - they are very
allergic to it. And really, it's a socialised industry. The Energy Bill of
2005 in the US allocated $13 billion to subsidise nuclear power. It can't
operate without huge government subsidies. So it's a socialised industry and
a capitalistic society. And if the government keeps subsidising it, then I
guess they can build a few reactors but certainly not enough to make any
difference to global warming, not that they will anyway in the long term.
KERRY O'BRIEN: You attack the nuclear industry for propagandising, but
haven't you been guilty of setting out to manipulate your audiences over the
years in the way you have sold your case, at times, dare I suggest, to
harangue, generate fear, to push your arguments to the limits, to enlist the
public to your cause?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: How?
KERRY O'BRIEN: I've seen you give speeches to audiences.
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: And?
KERRY O'BRIEN: I would say promoting fear by painting very fearful cases of
the picture that you paint of a nuclear holocaust, the picture that you
paint in this interview of nuclear accident, isn't that pushing at emotions?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: Kerry, I don't want the only life in the universe to be
destroyed and it's possible to do that now and it makes me scared and I'm a
paediatrician having taken the Hippocratic oath. All the world's children
are potentially my patients. I'm practising global preventative medicine.
And so I have to speak the truth. And if it makes people frightened...you
know, it's hard to speak this stuff, because it's boring, you know, and if
you've got an audience and you're giving them fact after fact, they sort of
go to sleep. So you have to be an actress, too, to wake them up and get them
to face reality. Like getting a person to stop smoking. I've done that lots
of times by scaring them and they hate me. But you know what, they stop
smoking. This is practising preventative medicine.
KERRY O'BRIEN: Coming back to your personal motivation. You say in
retirement you became depressed, did you honestly ask yourself whether a
part of that depression was simply that you missed the fray?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: Partly and partly because I'm pretty intuitive to my
detriment. And I know what's happening, I can see what can happen in the
future. I'm not good at denial, I'm not.
KERRY O'BRIEN: You've talked before about the personal cost to your family
of your years of campaigning. What's been the worst of that personal cost?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: I lost my marriage.
KERRY O'BRIEN: Worth it?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: It's hard to know, really, isn't it? I mean, it was my
destiny to do this work and it kind of still is. I knew from a child that I
would do something like this.
KERRY O'BRIEN: But isn't that - look, I'm not suggesting that this is so in
your case, but when a person talks about their destiny, isn't there a little
bit of a danger in that that you kind of can persuade yourself to all sorts
of things because you say it's your destiny?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: I couldn't not have done it, Kerry. I read On The Beach
when I was 15. And that was the turning - I lost my innocence. I lived in
Melbourne. I could feel the bombs exploding shortly after that. We could
destroy life on earth. Then I did medicine at the age of 17, I learned about
genetics and radiation. It was so obvious to me and Russia and America were
blowing up bombs in the atmosphere and the fallout was falling down and
Linus Pauling said children would get leukaemia and cancer, medically it's
obvious. Now, I could practise medicine, I could have stayed at Harvard and
done really well. I had a great boss. But I could see beyond pouring stuff
into test tubes and treating individual patients. What was the use of caring
for my patients so carefully if, in fact, they had no future?
KERRY O'BRIEN: And so here you go again?
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: Yeah.
KERRY O'BRIEN: Helen Caldicott, thanks for talking with us.
DR HELEN CALDICOTT: Thanks, Kerry.
The world-renowned antinuclear activist's myth-busting look at the real
costs and consequences of nuclear energy
Dr. Caldicott is one of the most articulate and passionate advocates of
citizen action to remedy the nuclear and environmental crises.
—FROM THE CITATION FOR THE 2003 LANNAN CULTURAL FREEDOM PRIZE
In a world torn apart by wars over oil, many politicians are increasingly
looking for alternative sources of energy—and their leading choice is often
nuclear. Among the myths that have been spread over the years about
nuclear-powered electricity are that it does not cause global warming or
pollution (i.e., that it is “clean and green”), that it is inexpensive, and
that it is safe. But the facts belie the barrage of nuclear industry
propaganda:
Nuclear power contributes to global warming
The real costs of nuclear power are prohibitive (and taxpayers pick up most
of them)
There’s not enough uranium in the world to sustain long-term nuclear power
Potential for a catastrophic accident or terrorist attack far outweighs any
benefits.
Trained as a physician, and—after four decades of antinuclear activism—
thoroughly versed in the science of nuclear energy, the bestselling author
of Nuclear Madness and Missile Envy here turns her attention from nuclear
bombs to nuclear lightbulbs. As she makes meticulously clear in this damning
book, the world cannot withstand either.
The world’s leading spokesperson for the antinuclear movement, Dr. Helen
Caldicott is the co-founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, a
nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, and the 2003 winner of the Lannan
Cultural Freedom Prize. She divides her time between Australia and
Washington, D.C., where she recently established the Nuclear Policy Research
Institute
Dr. Caldicott’s new book, Nuclear Power is Not the Answer, will be released
in Australia by Melbourne University Press on Monday, 3 July 2006. Dr.
Caldicott will be speaking at the following events in conjunction with this
book release:
Monday, 3 July 2006, 6.30 p.m. - Public Lecture, Nuclear Free Australia,
Trades Hall, Corner Lygon and Victoria Streets, Carlton, Melbourne
Tuesday, 4 July 2006, 7.00 p.m. - Public Lecture, The Peace Organisation of
Australia – Cocktail Party, The Order of Melbourne, 401 Swanston St,
Melbourne. Dr Helen Caldicott to be presented with the Australian Peace
Prize
Monday, 10 July 2006, 6.30 p.m. - Book Launch of Nuclear Power is Not the
Answer, Gleebooks, Glebe Point Rd, Glebe, Sydney
Tuesday, 11 July 2006, 6.00 p.m. - Public Lecture, The Sydney Institute:
"Nuclear Power: The Answer?", Metcalfe Auditorium, State Library of NSW,
Macquarie Street, Sydney
Damn Interesting » This Place is Not a Place of HonorNuclear - what signs
will we leave?
what about - "the poison, leave it!"
if only we listened...
-------------------------------------------
This Place is Not a Place of Honour
Posted by Alan Bellows on May 17th, 2006 at 10:30 am
If you look at it just right, the universal radiation warning symbol looks a
bit like an angel. The circle in the middle could indicate the head, the
lower part might be the body, and the upper two arms of the trefoil could
represent the wings. Looking at it another way, one might see it as a wheel,
a triangular boomerang, a circular saw blade, or any number of relatively
benign objects. Whatever a person's first impression of it may be, someone
unfamiliar with the symbol probably wouldn't guess that it means "Danger!
These rocks shoot death rays!"
The U.S. Department of Energy has been grappling with that problem recently,
as they designed the warning markers to use at Yucca Mountain and at the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) nuclear waste storage facilities. There's
no telling who might be around to exhume our radioactive sins in future
centuries, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates that
warnings be erected which will warn away potential intruders for the next
10,000 years, whomever those intruders may be.
The offending nuclear waste will be stored far underground at each of these
facilities, but there is still a danger that future generations might
stumble across it. WIPP is located in the desert outside Carlsbad, New
Mexico, and its storage areas are located 2,150 feet underground. Yucca
Mountain's facilities in the Nevada desert are intended to house waste at
1,000 feet deep. Between the two, they are meant to entomb tens of thousands
of metric tons of nuclear waste, most of which will remain dangerous for
centuries. Each of these locations was selected due to its relative geologic
stability, theoretically allowing facilities there to contain the waste for
the required 10,000 years.
Ten thousand years ago, early humans were still painting images on the walls
of caves. Some of those primitive messages managed to survive ten millennia,
and they also remain somewhat meaningful. But of course our ancient
cave-painting ancestors weren't attempting to illustrate complex ideas as
far as we know.
Before one can communicate with unknown future societies about deadly
nuclear waste, it is important to consider with whom precisely one is trying
to communicate. Such people may be part of a highly advanced civilization,
they may be a society much less advanced than our own, or they may have
comparable technology to that which we have today. Further, they may not be
directly descended from local cultures. Messages will thus need to
communicate to anyone- regardless of their culture, technology, or political
structure- that intruding upon the repository is not in their best interest.
The essence of the message itself is simple: Warning, dangerous materials
are buried below. But how to communicate this to all possible discoverers
using an enduring medium? To help answer this question during the
preparations for the WIPP facility, panels of experts were assembled
comprised of individuals with backgrounds in history, future studies,
economics, law, physics, sociology, geography, engineering, political
science, risk analysis, agriculture, climatology, history, and demographics.
This group was called the Futures Panel, and they were tasked with
creatively exploring the possible reasons why a future society might
penetrate these deep underground storage facilities. They were also asked to
advise on how to universally warn away would-be intruders.
The potential causes of future intrusion were imagined to be: water
impoundment, resource exploration/extraction, scientific investigations,
archaeological exploration, reopening the facilities for additional storage,
waste disposal by injection wells, explosive testing, underground
transportation tunnels, and weather modification. With these possibilities
under consideration, the Futures Panel proceeded with the assumption that
intelligent beings would halt any of these activities if the monuments were
successful at conveying their warning. The panel roughly defined the
intended message with the following:
This place is a message. and part of a system of messages. pay attention to
it!
Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a
powerful culture.
This place is not a place of honor.no highly esteemed deed is commemorated
here. nothing valued is here.
What is here is dangerous and repulsive to us. This message is a warning
about danger.
The danger is in a particular location. it increases toward a center. the
center of danger is here. of a particular size and shape, and below us.
The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours.
The danger is to the body, and it can kill.
The form of the danger is an emanation of energy.
The danger is unleashed only if you substantially disturb this place
physically.
This place is best shunned and left uninhabited.
.......
The ideas that sprang from the panel were varied and interesting. It was
decided that the markers would need to be designed to impart multiple levels
of information, ranging from the rudimentary- something made by humans is
here- to the more complex, such as the exact composition of the waste. This
approach, coupled with redundancy, was hoped to allow future discoverers to
realize that the site was significant, but also providing detailed
information should future society have the means to read the data. They also
pointed out that the markers should be made of ordinary materials and absent
of beauty, lest the finders see value in removing the markers from the site.
Panelists described culture-independent ideas which are intended to trigger
the danger reflex in all of humanity. One example indicated a massive
"landscape of thorns," made up of fifty-foot-high concrete spires with sharp
points jutting out at all angles. Another intriguing idea was an arrangement
of gigantic, black, "forbidding blocks" which are too close together and too
hot to provide shelter.
Ultimately, the decision for the WIPP markers was motivated by
cost-effectiveness. Current plans call for the area over the waste storage
panels to be outlined by "earthen berms," which is another way of saying
"large piles of dirt." These berms will be jagged in shape and will radiate
out from a central, generally square area. The jagged nature of the berms is
meant to convey a sense of foreboding, and the exact size, shape, and
configuration of the berms will be such that they will not quickly be eroded
or covered. The four corner berms will be higher than the others to provide
vantage points to see the area as a whole. Inside the corner berms will also
be buried concrete rooms containing highly detailed information, such as
maps, the periodic table, and astronomical charts indicating the date that
the facility was sealed. This data will be engraved upon stone slabs which
are too large to be removed from the rooms' entrances.
Inside of the square arrangement of berms, multiple granite "message kiosks"
will be engraved with more basic information describing the site's contents.
This text will be provided in all of the official UN languages and Navajo
(the local indigenous language). Additionally, space will be left on the
kiosks for a future generation to inscribe the message in another language.
The granite surfaces will be protected by a concrete "mother" wall, and the
messages will be placed up high to prevent them from being defaced or buried
by the desert sand.
Lastly, the berms and the area they surround will be peppered with
underground "time capsules" at varying depths. These clay, ceramic, glass,
and aluminum oxide disks will be inscribed with warning information, and may
contain samples of wood to allow a future society to date the
markers using carbon-14 dating.
Yucca Mountain information center conceptThe plans for the Yucca Mountain
warning markers are a bit different. Twenty-five foot monuments are intended
to be inscribed with text and pictographs warning visitors of the dangers
below, as well as a series of nine-inch markers embedded in the earth.
Surrounding the area will be several large information-center monuments in
the shape of the universal radiation symbol.
Other creative suggestions have been put forward for these warning markers,
some of them coming from outside of the official panels. For instance, one
individual suggested planting genetically-engineered blue cacti at the site
to indicate its importance. Another suggested leaving significant human
remains above-ground at the site, to frighten off any who might stumble
across it. Still others advised against erecting any warning monuments at
all, worrying that the markers themselves- if not properly interpreted- may
rouse the curiosity of their discoverers enough that they might explore
further, to disastrous ends.
In any case, WIPP is not scheduled to be sealed until the year 2038, and
Yucca Mountain may be operating well into the 24th century; so humanity
still has a little time to contemplate its warning to the future.
Further reading:
Summary of WIPP warning markers (PDF)
Report on WIPP Markers from Sandia Labs (large PDF)
Excerpts from Sandia report, including interesting concept images
Fact sheet on Yucca Mountain markers
Related Articles:
NASA's Messages to the Great Unknown
Subterranean Cities
New Year's Eve 11999
The Crypt of Civilization
Watch the Skies in the Year 52,007 A.D.
Katoomba: David Bradbury's Blowin' in the
Wind - Monday, July 17, 7.30 pm, Tris Elies nightclub.
Green Left Weekly and Socialist Alliance are proud to be
screening David Bradbury's new documentary, Blowin' in the Wind,
on Monday July 17, 7.30 pm, at Tris Elies nightclub in Katoomba (next
to the train station).
Blowin' In The Wind is the latest film from two-time Academy
Award nominee, David Bradbury - arguably Australia's most contentious
and provocative documentary filmmaker. It examines the secret treaty
that allows the US military to train and test its weaponry on
Australian soil. It looks at the impact of recycled uranium weapons and
the far-reaching physical and moral effects on every Australian. Blowin' In The Wind reveals that Iraqi babies
are now being born with major birth defects. We
were lied to by the British over the Woomera and Maralinga atomic
tests. Can we trust another equally powerful partner in our 'war on
terror'?
The film is timely as the Howard government currently moves to approve
more uranium mines and is promoting nuclear power, arguing that by
going nuclear we are being both 'safe' and 'green'. Sections of the ALP
are also pushing for open-slather uranium mining.
With a cash budget of just $12,000 Blowin' In The Wind raises
pertinent questions which cannot be ignored by the Australian public.
Please mark the date down in your diaries and tell your friends and
workmates about it, and come along. $10, $5 concession, $15 solidarity
price. Phone 4787 7859 for more details.
Other screenings:
PARRAMATTA - THURS JULY 27, 6.30pm, Parramatta
Town Hall, $12/$8 ($20 solidarity) NEWTOWN - SAT JULY 15, Newtown Neighbourhood
Centre, $12/$8 ($20 solidarity)
Sounds good.
Benny Zable
>From: "Anne Goddard" <winter___@...>
>Reply-To: ClimateChangeAction@...
>To: "benny zable"
><bennyzable@...>,<aha@...>,<vanessabowden@...>,<ian.\
cohen@...>
>CC:
><lendmanstephen@...>,<bobrich@...>,<ClimateChangeAction@y\
ahoogroups.com.au>,<christine.phelps@...>,<michelle.braunstein@melbourn\
e.foe.org.au>,<ben.pearson@...>,<john@...>
>Subject: [ClimateChangeAction] Re: "An Inconvenient Truth"- climate change
>action group
>Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2006 19:49:06 +1000
>
>Hiya Benny and those on your distribution list and climate change action
>group members...
>
>I would be more than happy to contribute my daughters TAFE Report (on
>climate change/climate change mitigation in a readable and understandable
>language) to the effort... the majority of the work (and words) come from
>the climate change action group members (permission pending). We are
>working
>together on it over the next couple of days.
>It is excellent, in my opinion, but then, i am biased!
>
>Forwarding soon for all to use as they see fit. I think that it would be a
>great reference point at cinemas and perfect as a hand out.
>
>Regards
>Anne
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "benny zable" <bennyzable@...>
>To: <aha@...>; <vanessabowden@...>;
><ian.cohen@...>; <winter___@...>
>Cc: <lendmanstephen@...>; <bobrich@...>;
><ClimateChangeAction@...>; <christine.phelps@...>;
><michelle.braunstein@...>;
><ben.pearson@...>;
><john@...>
>Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 1:03 PM
>Subject: "An Inconvenient Truth"- climate change action group
>
>
>Dear all
>I have put the idea of an outreach presence of climate change groups at
>cinamas during the showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" to the United
>International Pictures publicity agent Brooke Wilkins in Sydney.
>What she and I discussed is a cross the board climate change and energy
>information representation at the cinemas during the showing.
>
>I propose that the Anvil Hill Alliance work towards
>a launch in Newcastle and Sydney.
>
>She also suggested a national climate change action presence during the
>showing.
>Her email# is <brookewilkins@...>
>
>I offer to work with you all on ideas and connections.
>
>The Edge Cinema in Katoomba is interested in an event to launch the film
>there.
>
>The manager is Zara
>
>Email# <zara@...>
>
>Lets network together to formulate an action plan for United International
>Pictures to this proposal as soon as possible.
>
>
>Yours Benny Zable
>
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
Hiya Benny and those on your distribution list and climate change action
group members...
I would be more than happy to contribute my daughters TAFE Report (on
climate change/climate change mitigation in a readable and understandable
language) to the effort... the majority of the work (and words) come from
the climate change action group members (permission pending). We are working
together on it over the next couple of days.
It is excellent, in my opinion, but then, i am biased!
Forwarding soon for all to use as they see fit. I think that it would be a
great reference point at cinemas and perfect as a hand out.
Regards
Anne
----- Original Message -----
From: "benny zable" <bennyzable@...>
To: <aha@...>; <vanessabowden@...>;
<ian.cohen@...>; <winter___@...>
Cc: <lendmanstephen@...>; <bobrich@...>;
<ClimateChangeAction@...>; <christine.phelps@...>;
<michelle.braunstein@...>; <ben.pearson@...>;
<john@...>
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 1:03 PM
Subject: "An Inconvenient Truth"- climate change action group
Dear all
I have put the idea of an outreach presence of climate change groups at
cinamas during the showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" to the United
International Pictures publicity agent Brooke Wilkins in Sydney.
What she and I discussed is a cross the board climate change and energy
information representation at the cinemas during the showing.
I propose that the Anvil Hill Alliance work towards
a launch in Newcastle and Sydney.
She also suggested a national climate change action presence during the
showing.
Her email# is <brookewilkins@...>
I offer to work with you all on ideas and connections.
The Edge Cinema in Katoomba is interested in an event to launch the film
there.
The manager is Zara
Email# <zara@...>
Lets network together to formulate an action plan for United International
Pictures to this proposal as soon as possible.
Yours Benny Zable
Offline 
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