Newsletter IX 2023 |
February 26th to March 4th
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Nuclear Power Accidents
This PDF file contains a list of accidents and releases of radioactivity. Some of this information was only made public under the most difficult of circumstances. As new information emerges, this list will be expanded and updated...
Excerpt for this month:
March 1, 2006 (INES 2) NPP Kozloduy, BGR
March 05, 1969 (INES 3) Nuclear factory Sellafield, GBR
March 6, 2006 (INES ? Class.?) Nuclear factory NFS, USA
March 8, 2002 (INES 3) NPP Davis Besse, USA
March 10, 1970 (INES 3 | NAMS 2,6) Nuclear factory Sellafield, GBR
March 11, 1958 (Broken Arrow) Mars Bluff, USA
March 11, 2011 (INES 7 | NAMS 7,5) NPP Fukushima I Daiichi, JPN
March 12, 2011 (INES 3) NPP Fukushima II Daini, JPN
March 13, 1980 (INES 4) NPP Saint-Laurent, FRA
March 19, 1971 (INES 3 | NAMS 2) Nuclear factory Sellafield, GBR
March 22, 1975 (INES ? Class.?) NPP Brown's Ferry, USA
March 25, 1955 (INES 4 | NAMS 4,3) Nuclear factory Sellafield, GBR
March 28, 1979 (INES 5 | NAMS 7,9) NPP Three mile island, USA
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We are looking for current information. If you can help, please send a message to: nukleare-welt@reaktorpleite.de
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4. March
France | Cattenom | under control
Fire broke out in reactor at Cattenom nuclear power plant – fire under control
Cattenom/Paris A fire broke out in reactor block 1 of the French nuclear power plant in Cattenom on Friday. what is known so far.
On Friday evening, March 3, a fire broke out in reactor block 1 of the Cattenom nuclear power plant. The operator, Électricité de France (EDF), announced this on its website. "The Cattenom power plant called the fire department around 20 p.m. about a fire that broke out on a fan in a room in the nuclear zone of production block No. 1," it said. Upon arrival, the fire brigade quickly got the fire under control and declared it extinguished.
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Wind energy | expansion target | Repowering
New tailwind for wind energy
Within two months, the traffic light government implemented the EU emergency regulation into German law. Onshore and offshore wind power can now be approved much more quickly. If the federal states follow suit, there is now a real chance of achieving the expansion targets for 2030.
After six months of energy policy fire brigade operations, the EU Commission in Brussels and the traffic light government in Berlin have moved forward and are speeding up the approval process for new green electricity plants. This is also urgently needed, especially in the case of wind energy ...
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disposal | EnBW | Phillipsburg
Disposal issue in court
Dispute over waste disposal - dismantling of the Philippsburg nuclear power plant is faltering
What to do with the rubble from the shut down nuclear power plant in Philippsburg (Karlsruhe district)? The disposal dispute lies with the Administrative Court in Mannheim. There are first delays in the dismantling.
In the middle of the corona pandemic, the two cooling towers of the nuclear power plant in Philippsburg fell in May 2020. But what happens to the waste that is produced during the dismantling? Classic disposal is out of the question, even if the material does not radiate. The operator EnBW sees the district of Karlsruhe as having a waste disposal obligation, but a legal dispute with the Enz district is smoldering...
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Isar | End of term | Access blocked
Activists block access to the Isar 2 nuclear power plant
On Saturday, around 50 demonstrators blocked access routes to the Isar 2 nuclear power plant near Landshut. The opponents of nuclear power wanted to make it clear that they reject any further extensions of the lifetime, they threatened "determined civil disobedience".
Around 50 demonstrators tried today to block access roads to the Isar ll nuclear power plant. Before the planned phase-out of nuclear power on April 15, opponents of nuclear power fear political debates about possible lifetime extensions. In view of the energy crisis, these are still being demanded by the Union, AfD and within the Berlin coalition by the FDP ...
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Ukraine | Tanks | armaments company
Rheinmetall wants to build tank factory in Ukraine
The "Panther" main battle tank is considered to be one of the most modern weapon systems in the world. It is manufactured by the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. He wants to set up a tank factory in Ukraine. 400 pieces per year are possible.
The armaments group Rheinmetall wants to build a tank factory on Ukrainian soil. The plant could be built for around 200 million euros, said company boss Armin Papperger of the "Rheinische Post".
Up to 400 "Panther" type battle tanks could be produced there every year and the plant could be protected against Russian attacks with an air defense system. "Anti-aircraft protection would not be difficult." The "Panther" was presented in 2022 and is one of the most modern weapon systems in the world. So far, according to several media reports, no army is using it, Ukraine would be the first customer ...
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Climate strike | politics corrupt | fossil lobbies
Are we cold-hearted, irrational climate ignoramuses?
How did it get to the point where we're running towards the abyss like lemmings? Do fossil lobbies and corrupt politics have us in such a tight grip? Why the chance of a turnaround has never been more favorable than today. A comment.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets yesterday for the global climate strike. Not only in Germany, where 240 protest actions were registered and the organizers counted 220.000 demonstrators, but all over the world, from Bangladesh to Kenya.
In Germany, the main focus of the strike was the traffic turnaround. In the Süddeutsche Zeitung, however, Nikolaus Piper considers the alliance of climate strikers with Verdi warning strikers to be absurd. The demand for more wages for train and bus drivers is harmful to the climate: "This is how Verdi and Fridays for Future are on strike, destroying the traffic turnaround," says the headline.
It seems to have escaped the attention of the SZ that car traffic has received enormous sums of money for decades and that rail has been neglected. To date, the traffic turnaround has been successfully blocked by the car and oil lobby. The current intervention by Minister of Transport Wissing in Brussels is just another example of this preventive policy ...
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3. March
Global Warming | Fridays for Future | Union Verdi
fight against global warming
Tens of thousands of people are on strike for the climate
"Climate protection instead of coal pollution" are demanded by demonstrators in Germany and numerous other countries around the world. The Verdi union shows solidarity.
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Germany and other countries around the world for more ambition in the fight against global warming. There were major protest marches by the Fridays for Future climate movement in Germany, for example in Berlin and Munich, in Dresden, Cologne and Frankfurt am Main...
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Climate researcher Rahmstorf | Exxon | Fossil Lobby
Climate researchers on lobbying power:
"Exxon was duped"
Climate researcher Stefan Rahmstorf no longer believes that he can get through to politics with expert opinions. A conversation about the lobbying power of fossil companies.
taz: Mr. Rahmstorf, the Exxon oil company had known for decades that burning fossil fuels would heat up the earth. You have just analyzed the work of the group's own scientists at the time. Exactly what did Exxon know?
Stefan Rahmstorf: Exxon's first climate projection from the XNUMXs predicted even more warming than actually happened. Since the XNUMXs, Exxon's projections have been very accurate. They were even a bit more accurate than those that were being created in academic research institutions at the same time.
Did that surprise you?
Yes. It has long been known that the fossil energy companies ultimately knew what they were causing. But the fact that they researched so intensively and had such precise models surprised me. Incidentally, not a single one of these models gave even the remotest expectation that there would be no global warming as a result of the use of fossil energy. But that's what the company has claimed publicly...
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Alliance pro rail | Federal Transport Minister
mobility turnaround
Pro-Rail Alliance calls for clarity in the Germany cycle
Trains every half hour and shorter travel times: The German train is a "project of the century" for Deutsche Bahn. The interest group is now demanding a binding concept from the Federal Transport Minister.
The interest group Allianz pro Schiene has called for clarity from the federal government in view of discussions about the schedule of the so-called Deutschlandtakt. "We expect that Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing will not delay the expansion of the rail network any longer and that he will present a binding concept for the gradual implementation of the Germany cycle before the end of this year," demanded Managing Director Dirk Flege on Thursday. "We can't lose any more time in expanding the network for the Deutschlandtakt." ...
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LNG terminal | Uniper | Chlorine
Approval for 20 years:
LNG ship allowed to chlorinate the Wadden Sea
Lower Saxony has allowed a liquid gas ship to be cleaned with chlorine – despite alternatives. The operator should take over the monitoring himself.
OSNABRUCK taz | The "Höegh Esperanza" is quite a chunk. With a length of 294 m, the Norwegian LNG storage and evaporation ship cannot be overlooked at its pier in Wilhelmshaven's Jade-Weser-Port.
The colossus has been here since mid-December 2022 as an import terminal. It is intended to help make Germany less dependent on Russian natural gas. Chancellor Scholz opened the terminal. "A good day for our country!" he said.
That's a bold statement, especially ecologically. Because the natural gas that arrives here is liquefied, which compresses its volume by a factor of 600. The terminal turns the gas back into gaseous form. The “Höegh Esperanza” uses seawater for this. It is sucked on board, along with many creatures, from mussels to algae. Chlorine kills them so they don't clog the ship's plumbing. Pumped back into the sea, the water not only washes away the dead biomass, but also the biocide...
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Agriculture | Photovoltaic system | Speculation
Blackrock in Bonitz
2.500 hectares in southern Brandenburg: Deutsche Wohnen is speculating about agricultural land in the east
East German agricultural land has long been the subject of great speculation. Huge areas belong to risk funds or Aldi Nord, insurers, furniture groups - this week Deutsche Wohnen AG (DW) got involved.
[...]
A farmer had offered eight million euros for the operation in the Elbe-Elster district, Tobias Lemm, a graduate agricultural manager from a farming family in Prignitz. Lemm wanted to farm locally and keep dairy cattle, as he told the Taz on February 19.2. explained. He couldn't keep up with Quarterback AG's bid. They will have lucrative photovoltaic systems set up in Bönitz, animal husbandry is to be "slightly reduced" for the time being...
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2. March
Renewables | Hydrogen infrastructure | Moorburg
Hamburg buys decommissioned coal-fired power plant from Vattenfall
The city of Hamburg has bought the decommissioned Moorburg coal-fired power plant from the energy company Vattenfall. As of March 1st, the municipal Hamburg energy works had acquired the company including the buildings and the remaining parts as well as the associated property on Moorburger Schanze, the Senate announced on Thursday. Both sides had agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
The aim is to set up a hydrogen infrastructure at the Moorburg site and to use parts of the former power plant to supply the city with renewable energies. According to the environmental agency, the first hydrogen will be produced in 2026 ...
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combustion dispute | Aviation | liquid hydrocarbons
Combustion engine dispute Aviation insists on priority when using e-fuel
Transport Minister Wissing does not want to agree to the end of combustion engines in Europe from 2035 in the current form. Now aviation also has a requirement.
Aviation is pushing for preferential treatment over the automotive industry when it comes to using climate-friendly fuel. Every initiative to increase the production of synthetic fuel is to be welcomed, the Federal Association of the German Aerospace Industry (BDLI) declared on Thursday ...
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FDP Greens | Combustion engines | E-fuel
Combustion off from 2035
Green politician swung to the FDP line on e-fuels
The FDP is getting surprising support in the fight against a blanket ban on combustion engines from 2035: from the green-led Ministry of Economic Affairs. According to State Secretary Giegold, e-fuel engines are an alternative to conventional combustion engines. Accordingly, there is an appeal to the EU Commission.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing has already opposed a blanket ban on the registration of new combustion engines from 2035, and now the green-led Ministry of Economic Affairs is stepping in to help. State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Greens politician Sven Giegold said on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Brussels: "We as Germany have always said: 'We support the end of old, conventional combustion engines, but we want a solution outside of the fleet limits, i.e. outside of this law for such combustion engines that are only operated with sustainable e-fuels.'" The EU Commission must now convince all coalition partners that such measures are being taken, Giegold demanded ...
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Argentina | Atucha | central large power plants
20 million people temporarily without electricity
A power outage has brought life to a standstill in large parts of Argentina. At times, up to 20 million people were without public electricity and - with record temperatures - without working air conditioning.
Millions of households lost electricity after a fire broke out on a high-voltage power line in Argentina. According to the authorities, several provinces were affected on Wednesday afternoon and evening. As the newspaper "La Nación" reported, citing the government of the South American country, around 20 million people were temporarily without electricity.
[...]
Temperatures around 36 degrees Celsius prevailed in the country's capital on Wednesday. According to meteorologists, the metropolis is currently experiencing the hottest summer in history.
According to initial findings, a fire in a field around 60 kilometers from Buenos Aires had also attacked the high-voltage lines there, which led to the first outages in the region. As a precaution, the Atucha I nuclear power plant, which is connected via the lines, and other power plants were shut down, resulting in bottlenecks across the country.
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Gundremmingen nuclear power plant will never go back into operation
The decommissioned nuclear power plants should be started up again, which Bavarian politicians had recently demanded because of the energy crisis. Now the head of the Gundremmingen nuclear power plant makes it clear why this is not possible at all.
The site manager of the former Gundremmingen nuclear power plant, Heiko Ringel, no longer sees any chances for the power plant to be reactivated. The dismantling is already well advanced, he said at a lecture in the Swabian Chamber of Industry and Commerce. "The generators have not only been removed, but have already been completely dismantled and sent to the disposal process by a recycling company. We are currently removing the turbine." The cooling towers, which can be seen from afar, have already been completely gutted on the inside...
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1. March
Anti-nuclear spring: more than 50 vigils nationwide on Fukushima Memorial Day
More than 50 vigils and activities to mark the 12th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster - phase out now!
Date Time: March 11, 2023
Location: Germany at more than 50 locations (status: 29.02.2023. Feb. XNUMX)
anti-atom-fruehling.de/aktionskarte/
Fukushima warns! The nuclear catastrophe in Japan has once again shown the world that nuclear power, a high-risk technology, is unmanageable. After twelve years, the homeland of hundreds of thousands of people is still largely contaminated. Radioactively contaminated water is still flowing into the sea. Wind and rain carry radiant particles across the land. The thyroid cancer rate among children and adolescents from the region has increased twenty-fold. An end to the nuclear catastrophe is not in sight.
On this occasion, .broadcast and the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) called for nationwide campaigns. In more than 50 locations, opponents of nuclear power commemorate the triple meltdown in Fukushima and its consequences. At the same time, they are protesting under the motto "Pull out nuclear power now! 100 percent renewable” against all attempts to extend the lifetime of the last nuclear power plants in Germany and for the fact that the nuclear phase-out is finally implemented.
A map with all planned vigils in Germany can be found at anti-atom-fruehling.de/aktionskarte/
On April 15, 2023, the day on which the Federal Chancellor announced the end of all nuclear power plants, BUND and .aussendung with a wide circle of supporters also call for actions at the nuclear power plant sites in Lingen, Neckarwestheim and in Munich to fight against further to demonstrate life extensions.
The call for the "Anti-Nuclear Spring" with vigils on March 11 and demonstrations on April 15 can be found at anti-atom-fruehling.de/aufruf/
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FDP report | speed limit | climate change deniers
“Hair-raising climate skeptic nonsense”? Why there is criticism of the FDP report on the speed limit
Greens and SPD want it, the FDP doesn't: the speed limit. In order to underline the (lack of) meaningfulness of the whole thing, different expert opinions are opposed. The FDP short study is now under criticism – mainly because the authors attracted attention with their climate-skeptical contributions.
Germany is the only country in Europe where there is no general speed limit on motorways. While it has already been introduced in all European countries, in Germany there is a bitter argument about the pros and cons. The Greens and the SPD want it, they even stated it in their election manifesto. The FDP did it the other way around and declared a speed limit on German roads a taboo even before the coalition negotiations...
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Romania | deforestation | timber mafia
"Timber Mafia" in Romania
"Illegal deforestation will increase"
In Romania, huge areas of forest are illegally cut down by the "timber mafia" year after year. Western timber companies and Romanian politicians are also believed to be benefiting from the criminal system.
In the middle of the Romanian state forest, near the village of Moldovitza, there is a huge hole. The trees were felled here on several thousand square meters. It is a clear cut, which according to research by NDR, WDR, SZ and "Spiegel" should not exist. Because according to official papers from the Romanian forest authority Romsilva, the forest should be cleared to make room for young trees. But in fact there are almost no young trees in this piece of forest for which space should have been made
The forest scientist and head of the Thünen Institute for Forest Ecosystems, Andreas Bolte, examined the recordings of the clear-cutting. His verdict is clear: "In Germany that would be forbidden." According to research, a local company called Saniral is responsible for the clear-cutting. The company left a written request unanswered ...
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United States | Westinghouse | Vogtle
New construction of power plant capacities in the USA in 2023: over 50 percent solar output
Washington – In the United States, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) is publishing data on the planned increase in new power plant capacity for a year. According to current plans in the United States, new power plants with over 2023 MW will be built in 50.000, of which around 35.000 MW will be attributable to wind and solar energy alone.
[...]
Nuclear power plants: Nuclear power plant blocks in the Vogtle nuclear power plant are to go online in 2023 after years of delay
Two new Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants, each with 1.100 MW (net capacity), are being built in the US state of Georgia. But as with other nuclear power plant constructions, the project is far behind schedule and the costs have exploded. The two nuclear power plants approved in 2012 were supposed to go into operation in 2016 at a cost of 14 billion US dollars. But seven years later it is still unclear whether the nuclear power plants can actually go online in the current year 2023.
The costs for the only new nuclear power plant in the USA have more than doubled from originally 14 to more than 30 billion US dollars. According to a report by Power Magazine, there is already a risk of new trouble with minority shareholders. Some plan to freeze their cost sharing, as per a 2018 agreement with Georgia Power as the majority shareholder.
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France | EDF | nuclear alliance
France's nuclear power alliance starts with 11 member states
Eleven European member states on Tuesday pledged to "work more closely together" and promote "joint industrial projects" across the nuclear supply chain.
The signatories agreed on a declaration in Stockholm with the aim of "reaffirming together their desire to strengthen European cooperation in the field of nuclear energy".
[...]
The eleven signatories include Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia...
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France | Global Warming | cooling water
France's environment minister is fatalistic
While France is already suffering from drought in February and a new summer of drought is imminent, France's climate minister is already defeated by climate change - and wants to prepare the Grande Nation for 4 degrees of global warming.
A lack of rain, drought and water shortages are affecting France. The climate crisis has the Grande Nation in its grip and is causing a lot of problems. This does not only apply to the operation of air conditioning systems and pools. In many communities, water is rationed as early as spring, and some places have no running water at times.
France was already suffering from an acute drought last year: no rain, falling water levels in rivers and lakes to the point of complete drying up, water rationing in the hard-hit regions, washing cars and watering the garden was forbidden, nuclear power plants had to be shut down due to a lack of cooling water from the rivers ...
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Combustion engines | Wissing | Ministry of Transport
Greens accuse Transport Minister Volker Wissing of breaking the law
The Federal Minister of Transport has received criticism for his plan to reject the EU combustion engine. He slips "into illegality," says Green politician Stefan Gelbhaar.
The transport policy spokesman for the Greens parliamentary group, Stefan Gelbhaar, has accused Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) of violating the climate protection law because of his climate policy. "Transport Minister Wissing is slipping deeper and deeper into illegality if his ministry doesn't finally work seriously on implementing the climate laws," said the Green politician to the editorial network Germany.
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March 01, 2006 (INES 2) NPP Kozloduy, BGR
Wikipedia
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kernkraftwerk_Kosloduj
On March 1, 2006, one of four main coolant pumps failed in unit 5, which is why the performance should be reduced by 6% by retracting a group of 30 control rods. Of these, however, 3 got stuck in the top position, whereupon the reactor was shut down by injecting boric acid into the cooling circuit. An emergency shutdown was then simulated by retracting the remaining nine groups with a total of 54 control rods in order to check their function. It was found that a further 19 control rods failed in the same way (i.e. a total of 22 out of 60). The cause of the fault was a change in the design of the control rods by the manufacturer Gidropress. In the event of a simultaneous loss of coolant (e.g. due to the rupture of the supply line), its failure could have led to overheating and melting of the reactor core. The operator had originally classified the incident as Level 0 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, but the regulator classified it as Level 2. The incident only became known two months later...
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AtomkraftwerkePlag
https://atomkraftwerkeplag.fandom.com/de/wiki/Kosloduj_(Bulgarien)
A 1993 IAEA ASSET mission investigated a total of 93 events that occurred between December 1990 and May 1993, 73 of which were considered security relevant. In 1994, 425 events were listed, 177 of which were safety-related (one event was classified as INES Level 2).
In August 1996, Bulgarian media reported on two INES level 1 incidents that had been concealed from the public: radioactive water leaks contaminating the subsoil and failures in the cooling circuit.
But even with the reactors that are still active today, breakdowns occur again and again. In March 2010 there was a short circuit. In May 2012, a reactor had to be manually disconnected from the grid due to generator damage because it did not switch itself off automatically. In April 2013, a reactor had to be shut down "after hydrogen leaked to cool a generator."
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28. February
Nuclear waste dump | rust cracks | Brunsbuettel
Spots of rust discovered in the solids store
During inspections at the Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant, corrosion was found on press drums containing radioactive waste. According to the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Energy Transition, no radioactive substances have escaped.
In addition to superficial rust spots, two corrosion spots penetrating the wall, each with a diameter of around 1 to 2 millimeters, were found on two of the press drums. A third press drum had a crack penetrating the wall over a length of around 16 centimetres. This was announced by the Ministry of the Environment in a press release in the morning. Radioactive waste is stored in press drums and then pressed ...
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The Left | Peace Movement | Carman Black
Paul Schäfer on “Peace Movement”:
“It doesn’t work without dialectics”
Left-wing Paul Schäfer believes that the Wagenknecht-Schwarzer alliance will not become a new peace movement. Weapons and diplomacy are not contradictory.
Paul Schäfer 74, is a defense expert. From 2005 to 2013 he represented the left in the Bundestag and is active in the "Progressive Linke", a counterpart to Wagenknecht's left-wing conservatism.
taz: Mr. Schäfer, was the rally on Saturday the “starting signal for a strong new peace movement”, as Sahra Wagenknecht thinks?
Paul Schaefer: No. In any case, this mixture of left- and right-wing populists, lateral thinkers and swaggerers is not the peace movement I imagine. It brings together people and groups that do not necessarily belong together. There was no discernible basis for a new movement. However, the Manifesto has received significant support.
Where does this resonance come from?
Many are afraid of the escalation of the war. You have to take this concern seriously. And there is great resentment that the media often only talks about war scenarios and weapons. Anyone who urges diplomacy will quickly be morally put down. That bothers a lot of people - and that's understandable. Some who have been pacifists for decades have abruptly converted to military experts.
Alice Schwarzer and Wagenknecht call for an immediate armistice and negotiations. What's wrong with it?
In view of the risks of escalation, it seems the most sensible thing for the actors in the war to sit down and negotiate. But that's cheap. Because the cause of the war and that the escalation comes from the Russian side is simply covered over. This is unacceptable. A new peace movement can only act on the basis of international law and empathy with those who have been attacked. Little or nothing of this was felt in the speeches on Saturday. I think a new peace movement is necessary. But not like this ...
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Climate Crisis | Agriculture | crop failures
Location of agriculture:
Heat and drought shrink crops
Last year there were few vegetables in Germany. Adverse weather will increase with the climate crisis.
BERLIN taz | German farms harvested 3,8 million tons of vegetables last year, the Federal Statistical Office announced on Monday. This is significantly less than in the successful previous year, namely a reduction of 12 percent. But even compared to the multi-year average, last year's harvest was meager, 2 percent below the average for the years 2016 to 2021.
[...]
Human greenhouse gases have already warmed the earth by an average of 1,2 degrees. The air on land warms up faster than that on the surface of oceans, which absorb a lot of heat. In Germany, it has meanwhile become 1,7 degrees warmer.
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France | drought | rivers dry
Drought in large parts of the country
Winter drought has France under control
It hasn't rained in France for more than a month - a record. Already in winter there are places without running water. And then there is the urgent question of how dramatic the situation will be in the summer.
Patrick Le Bris is relieved. Finally water comes out of the tap again. "But that's not suitable for cooking, making coffee or brushing your teeth, we have to use bottled water for that," says the resident of the small Pyrenees village of Oreilla in southwest France.
The place was in parts without running water. In the attic, which supplies the residents with water, there are only a few centimeters - much less than usual. Last week it was completely empty.
"The source is drying up. Only very little water is coming to us. Recently nothing came at all. That has never happened in winter," says Mayor Éric Rodriguez. Now the tanker is coming to supply the community...
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Chomsky: Why calls for a stronger NATO are wrong and mendacious
The US-led NATO alliance does not stand for peace and security. A look at the history books shows that. Now there is even a threat of a showdown with China. (interview part 2, end)
CJ Polychroniou: In the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, many commentators and policy makers in the western world express an openly racist attitude. Fortunately, European countries welcomed the Ukrainians fleeing their country with open arms. But those fleeing parts of Africa and Asia (or Central America, in the case of the United States) because of persecution, political instability and conflict, and a desire to escape poverty receive very different treatment. Indeed, it is hard to overlook the racism that lies behind the thinking of many who claim that one should not compare the US invasion of Iraq to Russia's invasion of Ukraine because the two events are on different planes . This position is taken, for example, by the neoliberal Polish intellectual Adam Michnik, who incidentally also cites you as one of those who commit the cardinal sin of not distinguishing between the two invasions. Your reaction to this kind of intellectual analysis?
Noam Chomsky: Outside the well-protected Western bubble, racism is perceived even more blatantly, for example by the respected Indian writer, political activist and essayist Arundhati Roy:
Ukraine is certainly not viewed here as a story that contains an unequivocal moral lesson. If brown people or black people are bombed or terrified, it doesn't matter, but white people should be different.
The transgression of the "cardinal sin" represents a most revealing side of our western civilization, which is emulated by our devoted friends.
However, Eastern Europe is a special case. For well-known and obvious reasons, Eastern European elites tend to be more receptive to US propaganda than others. On this basis, Donald Rumsfelds distinguished between the old and the new Europe...
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27. February
Sustainable | Climate protection | apartment construction
Sustainable Building Commission
Refurbish instead of building new
More apartments are needed, but climate protection should not suffer as a result. There are concepts how to do this. The most important measure is to preserve existing buildings instead of tearing them down and building new ones. A commission of experts presents a paper, the building minister is open-minded.
The major conversion needs a turbo boost, because there are only a good 20 years left: the building sector, which is known to be the biggest CO2 and resource sinner alongside transport, must, like all other sectors, become climate-neutral by 2045. This is what the Climate Protection Act stipulates, which the Bundestag tightened in 2021.
It's a difficult job anyway, since the energy-related refurbishment of the old building has so far been going too slowly. To make matters worse: many new apartments are needed, which require additional energy and raw materials - if the building policy is not rethought radially ...
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collective | collaps | sticking and fighting
Collapsology: Doomed?
The recently translated "Handbook of Collapsology" evokes the collapse of civilization, which the authors see little good anyway
While some climate activists are still glued to art or streets in their fight against the impending doomsday, others are already certain that the world as we know it will collapse “maybe as soon as 2050 or 2100”. At least that is the verdict of the biologist Pablo Servigne and the eco-consultant Raphaël Stevens in their “Handbook of Collapsology”, which was first published in French in 2015 and has caused a stir not only in France. Last year the German translation »How everything can collapse« by Lou Marin was published by Mandelbaum Verlag and the title says it all: the authors' question is not whether and when the sinking will take place, but only what it will look like ...
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PFAS | Poison of eternity | Chemical industry | Drinking water
Century poison PFAS
On the long bench
It has long been known how dangerous PFAS chemicals can be for humans and nature - but according to research by NDR, WDR and SZ they are still hardly regulated in Germany. Regional water suppliers are struggling with this.
In rain jackets, frying pans and dental floss, in ski wax, mascara or mobile phones: the chemicals from the PFAS group are found in a wide range of products. At the same time, they are suspected of causing cancer, rendering infertile and weakening the response to vaccination. Nevertheless, there are still no binding rules for the disposal of PFAS in water, air and soil in Germany.
There are also no limit values for groundwater and drinking water. In the past few months, NDR, WDR and "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (SZ) have contacted more than 150 private and municipal water suppliers in Germany to find out to what extent they test their water for PFAS ...
PFAS (Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds) are practically not degradable in nature and are therefore also referred to as eternal poisons, just like uranium, thorium and plutonium. The chemical industry prefers the term perpetual chemical because it sounds more positive and better.
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Chomsky | Ukraine escalation | negotiations
Chomsky: "Much worse" threatens in view of Ukraine escalation
The goal is to weaken Russia. An amazing course, says Noam Chomsky. Why liberal intellectuals support official policy, no matter what follows. (interview part 1)
The war in Ukraine has been going on for a year and there is no end in sight to the fighting, suffering and destruction. In fact, the next phase of the war could turn into a bloodbath and last for years, as the US and Germany have agreed to supply Ukraine with main battle tanks and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is now asking the West to send long-range missiles and fighter jets.
It's becoming increasingly obvious that this is a war between the US and NATO on the one hand and Russia on the other, argues Noam Chomsky in the following interview, in which he firmly dismisses the idea that, in light of the Russian invasion there could be no negotiated solution to the conflict in Ukraine ...
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26. February
Fukushima | Damage to health | thyroid
"Nuclear power is not safe"
The citizens' initiative for environmental protection in Offenburg (BUO) commemorates the Fukushima nuclear disaster. She calls for a definitive move away from nuclear power.
On March 11, 2011, 3 reactor blocks of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan, exploded in a super meltdown. The reactors are still burning after twelve years.
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Have we learned from this catastrophe? asks the BUO. Apparently not the European Commission and the European Parliament. Otherwise they would not have classified nuclear energy as green energy in the taxonomy. Now the EU Commission also wants to present hydrogen produced with nuclear energy as green. This electricity is extraordinarily expensive, without subsidies it is five times as expensive as wind power or photovoltaics. The dangers of wars, as experienced in the Ukraine, have not decreased either. A nuclear disaster in Ukraine would have far-reaching consequences. According to BUO, nuclear power is not suitable for combating climate change, as shown by nuclear power plants in France, some of which had to be shut down due to the heating of rivers in summer and safety deficiencies in winter ...
BUO lecture on Wednesday, March 15, at 19 p.m. in the VHS Offenburg: "Nuclear energy against climate change? ".
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Lukashenko believes that Russia could take over Belarus
The Minsk dictator Alexander Lukashenko has now reacted to the publication of secret documents, according to which Moscow is planning the creeping takeover of its neighboring country Belarus: He thinks this is possible, but also sees such revelations as an attempt to drive a wedge between Belarus and Russia.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has reacted to the revealed Russian takeover plans and does not rule out that they are genuine. That emerges from quotes published by the state news agency Belta ...
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Nuclear transport | Disinformation | Grafenrheinfeld
Demonstration in front of the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant: opponents of nuclear power and the Greens make demands for the transport of nuclear waste
It was uncomfortable on Friday morning in front of the gates of the nuclear power plant in Grafenrheinfeld. In dingy, wet and cold weather, around 60 participants gathered at the short-notice demonstration against the first nuclear waste transports.
The united protest was organized and supported by BA-BI (Bürgeraktion Umwelt- und Lebensschutz - citizens' initiative against nuclear plants), the Schweinfurt action alliance against nuclear power (SWAB), the Bund Naturschutz Schweinfurt, People for Future, the citizens' action on waste and the environment, the Schweinfurt district association by Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and the Green Party politician Paul Knoblach.
Knoblach began his speech cynically. "It's not the four containers that were brought here that are dangerous, we are," he said, referring to the disinformation received. All attempts to find out the first delivery date for the nuclear waste transport to Grafenrheinfeld from the nuclear power plant operator Preussen-Elektra failed. Knoblach thinks that this happened "on purpose".
Knoblach: "shameless and shabby behavior"
On February 16, parts of the nuclear waste from the dismantled nuclear power plant in Würgassen were brought to the interim storage facility in Grafenrheinfeld...
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Renewables | Efficiency | Save on
Ministry lobbyism, energy transition with three "E" and end of climate glue
It is not enough to replace fossil fuels such as natural gas with renewable ones, says Michael Müller, SPD pioneer and member of the editorial board of Klimareporter°. The climate crisis also requires an absolute reduction in energy consumption. He sees ministries as the main target of lobbyists.
Klimareporter°: Mr. Müller, the Lobbycontrol transparency initiative analyzed the influence of the natural gas lobby. How dangerous is the gas lobby for climate protection?
Michael Müller: It is not the case that the lobbyists primarily work the legislature, i.e. the Bundestag, for their own interests. As a rule, this is far too complicated because the members of parliament have to cover many areas of responsibility at the same time and they often lack the legal prerequisites for drafting a legal text.
That doesn't mean that there aren't tough interest groups in the Bundestag who, for example, campaign massively for the goals of companies based in their constituency.
But the implementation of the goals and interests of the economy starts where most lobbyists are active, namely in the ministries - where the responsible officers, heads of departments, heads of sub-departments or heads of departments are located. Not that I'm assuming corrupt officials everywhere, but the attempts are there, and they begin with "networks" that are systematically built for a specific purpose.
The other option is the direct route through talks or relationships with the state secretaries or the minister himself. It is also crucial here that there is a "mainstream" for the goals that promotes and supports the projects ...
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India | economic forum | G20
Scandal at the G20 meeting: Russia accuses the West of "blackmail".
The finance ministers could not agree on a joint final declaration. Bloc thinking hinders the solution of global problems. Those are the points of contention.
The war in Ukraine has changed international politics: it can no longer be denied that opposing blocs have emerged. And their work makes the work of international organizations more difficult and hinders the solving of global problems.
The finance ministers and central bank governors of the largest industrialized and emerging countries (G20) met in the Indian city of Bangalore. The meeting ended on Saturday – without a joint final declaration. One reason for this was the assessment of the war in Ukraine. Western media immediately claimed that Russia and China had blocked the communiqué.
The Indian government, which holds the G20 presidency, did not want the war in Ukraine to be the main topic of the meeting. According to the Asian News International (ANI) news agency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the members of the meeting to focus their discussions on the world's most vulnerable citizens ...
| Current news+ | Background knowledge |
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Current news+
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Nuclear phase-out | Lingen fuel element factory | Gronau uranium enrichment plant | Garching research reactor
Dear friends,
48 days until the Emsland, Neckarwestheim II and Isar II nuclear power plants are shut down - how many days until the Lingen fuel element factory, the Gronau uranium enrichment plant and the Munich-Garching research reactor are shut down?
We start today www.sofa-ms.de a mini series on the future of nuclear power in Germany and beyond. What's next after April 15? What are the unresolved issues? Where are the explosive locations? Is nuclear power really at an end in Germany or is the much-vaunted "Renaissance" looming? It is clear that we do not share the politically motivated narrative of the "end of nuclear power" in Germany for obvious reasons - nuclear plants that continue to operate, the unresolved disposal of nuclear waste, possible access to the atomic bomb and internationally explosive nuclear projects with participation from Germany unfortunately speak a very different language.
Part 1 today deals with the internationally active nuclear industry in Bavaria: https://sofa-ms.de/?p=2668
Why Bavaria? From 3rd to 5th March "Runterfahren" organizes a new warning blockade in front of the Isar II nuclear power plant near Landshut (www.runterfahren.org). We show solidarity with the action and take a close look at the Bavarian nuclear plants and nuclear companies - with effects on Ahaus, Gronau, Almelo and Lingen, but also as far as France, Hungary and Russia - and on the militarily occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on the front in the Ukraine.
Unfortunately, the Isar II nuclear power plant is not the end of Markus Söder's nuclear dreams, it is not even the last active reactor in Bavaria. And nuclear companies such as Eon, Framatome and Siemens Energy remain fat in the nuclear business. That's why it's important to take a look, find out more, continue the discussion and protest. We hope this little series of information can help a little.
April 15: Anti-nuclear protest in Lingen
A new anti-nuclear protest is planned for April 15 in Lingen. The day on which the Emsland nuclear power plant is to be taken off the grid is also the day on which the state government in Hanover and the federal government must finally say clearly whether they are friends of Rosatom and Framatome or want to complete the nuclear phase-out. We definitely want to prevent the planned expansion of the fuel element factory and the Kremlin's involvement. In addition, the Russian nuclear sector must finally be subject to severe sanctions.
Concrete information and times for the planned demo will follow.
Current information about Lingen https://atomstadt-lingen.de
Nuclear-free climate greetings
Sofa (immediate phase-out of nuclear power) Münster, action alliance Münsterland against nuclear plants
www.sofa-ms.de, www.urantransport.de
| Current news+ | Background knowledge |
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Background knowledge
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Map of the nuclear world:
1200 good arguments to fight back ...
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The internal search for
brought the following results, among others:
December 29, 2022 - Nuclear phase-out as a success story
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May 31, 2022 - Union and FDP insist on longer nuclear power plant runtimes
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April 08, 2022 - Söder's change of course when it comes to energy
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YouTube
Keyword search: nuclear phase-out
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Atomausstieg
Videos:
Date taken: September 11, 1967 - 3:26
Tom Lehrer - We Will All Go Together When We Go
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hr television | mex-6:22
Nuclear power comeback: what speaks for and against nuclear energy
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Terra X | Harald Lesch - 13:43 p.m
Hasty nuclear phase-out? Fukushima's legacy
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Free Democratic Party | Christian Lindner 30 May 2011 - 25: 00
Lindner on the nuclear phase-out
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ARTE Documentary HD - 01:30:31
Nuclear power - end of an era?
Playlist - radioactivity worldwide ...
This playlist contains over 150 videos on the topic
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Ecosia
This search engine is planting trees!
Keyword search: nuclear phase-out
https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=Atomausstieg
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Wikipedia
Nuclear phase-out
The political decision of a state to discontinue the operation of nuclear power plants and to forego nuclear energy for electricity generation is referred to as nuclear phase-out, also nuclear power phase-out or nuclear waiver. Italy has so far completely phased out the generation of atomic energy, while other countries such as Germany, Belgium and Switzerland have announced or initiated a nuclear phase-out. Austria did not put its completed Zwentendorf nuclear power plant into operation as early as 1978 after a referendum, and other countries canceled some of the nuclear programs that were well advanced.
The nuclear phase-out is an important aspect of the energy transition; However, this is much broader and envisages the complete conversion to renewable energies and the complete renunciation of conventional energy sources (nuclear fuels and fossil fuels) in the long term ...
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resistance (politics)
Resistance is the refusal to obey or active opposition to the authorities or the government.
It is initially of secondary importance whether the rulers against whom resistance is being exercised exercise their rule legally, legitimately or illegally. Evaluations such as "justified resistance", goals and means of resistance, moral and legal concerns require an observer's point of view: it depends on who, where and at what time the evaluation is made. The resister will always evaluate the resistance differently than the one against whom the resistance is directed. The latter, however, is usually the "authority" who at the same time has the power to define law and order. Accordingly, resistance is outside the set order.
background and demarcation
Resistance as a form of social and political debate has been anchored in European political culture since ancient times. In almost all forms of society there was or is a consensus that resistance can be necessary and legitimate in certain cases. In specific cases, opinions sometimes differ.
Resistance must be distinguished from revolution because it is not fundamentally aimed at reforming the social order. In certain circumstances, the restoration of an old law or a legal system that has been repealed can be the central concern. Nevertheless, a movement that started as a resistance can lead to a revolution...
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Newsletter VIII 2023 - February 19th to 25th
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