The nuclear fiasco in Japan has shaken the omnipotent nuclear industry – and government agencies that aided and abetted it. Yet they still obfuscate the consequences of the triple melt-down. Latest revelation: the number of workers at the plant with cancer-inducing radiation doses in thyroid glands was eleven times higher than disclosed last December.
Environment
Eerie Abandoned Japanese Island Hashima On Google Street View
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Eerie Abandoned Japanese Island Hashima On Google Street View
Ghost island: Hashima, a speck of land, used to be a coal mine where 5,000 people lived and toiled. But in the 1970s, it was abandoned and the concrete structures left to decay, only to resurface in the last James Bond movie. Now Google captured it for Street View – and made an awesome brief video of this eerie industrial wasteland.
Nuclear Lobby’s Latest Spin: It’s All Just “Fear” Of Radiation
by Contributor • • Comments Off on Nuclear Lobby’s Latest Spin: It’s All Just “Fear” Of Radiation
Akie Abe, Shinzo Abe’s Antinuclear Wife
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Akie Abe, Shinzo Abe’s Antinuclear Wife
Lobbying And GMO Giant Monsanto Buckles In Europe
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Lobbying And GMO Giant Monsanto Buckles In Europe
The “March Against Monsanto” in 52 countries, an unapproved strain of its genetically modified wheat growing on its own in Oregon, cancelled wheat export orders…. A rough week for Monsanto. Now it threw in the towel in Europe where its deep pockets and mastery of lobbying had failed: “It’s counterproductive to fight against windmills,” it explained.
Next Shoe To Drop: Shoddy Solar Panels From China
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Next Shoe To Drop: Shoddy Solar Panels From China
The solar-panel price war waged by state-subsidized Chinese companies killed a slew of manufacturers worldwide. Now, much of solar-panel manufacturing takes place in China. To stay alive, they cut costs – and corners. Defects are ballooning. And “cheap” solar panels suddenly get very expensive. A cruel twist for an already threatened industry.
The Next Big Thing: The Fear Of Climate Change
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on The Next Big Thing: The Fear Of Climate Change
The last big thing was green tech – from wave-power generators to the smart grid. Hyped in the bipartisan stimulus bill, it promised gobs of jobs, billions in revenues, and untold riches. Private investors plowed in billions too. It ended up in a massive pileup of capital destruction. Fatalities were everywhere.
Suddenly No Solution For 56 Million Gallons Of Highly Radioactive Toxic Waste Leaking Into The Ground
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Suddenly No Solution For 56 Million Gallons Of Highly Radioactive Toxic Waste Leaking Into The Ground
Engineers have done a great job developing nuclear technologies to serve mankind’s many endeavors: medical devices, power generators, or formidable weapons to wipe out mankind and its many endeavors. Yet they haven’t figured out what to do with the radioactive, toxic materials these technologies leave behind. And we’re shuffling them to the next generation.
The Rise Of Coal In China: “Blackest Day” Still In The Future
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on The Rise Of Coal In China: “Blackest Day” Still In The Future
China has tried over the years to come to grips with its pandemic pollution, yet in Beijing, through a combination of factors, it reached catastrophic levels in mid-January and set another record. Result of the white-hot pace of economic growth. And of coal consumption: this year, China is set to burn more coal than the rest of the world combined!
Corruption At “Decontaminating” Radioactive Towns In Japan
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Corruption At “Decontaminating” Radioactive Towns In Japan
On Friday, the mayor of Futaba, a ghost town of once upon a time 7,000 souls near Fukushima No. 1, told his staff that evacuees might not be able to return for 30 years. Or never, for the older generation. He spoke in Kazo, Saitama Prefecture, where the town’s government has settled. It was the first estimate of a timeframe. But it all depends on successful decontamination. And that has turned into a vicious corruption scandal.